Figure It Out
by Red8436
Summary: Hours before Slughorn's Christmas party, Theodore Nott unexpectedly comes across a tearful Hermione Granger. When he suggests that she take revenge on the person causing her tears by making them jealous, he never expects to be so directly involved.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns everything that you recognise!

Story title borrowed from the band, 'Royal Blood'.

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Theo halted in surprise when he saw that the staircase behind the tapestry was not as empty as he'd expected it to be. The other figure looked just as startled to suddenly be exposed to the bright light of the corridor and she quickly wiped at her eyes, head bowed. However, her movements were not quick enough to hide her puffy eyes and tear-stained cheeks.

Theo felt his posture instantly become rigid at the sign of her distress; it wasn't a noble or chivalrous instinct, more an unfamiliarity with the situation. Having next to no experience of witnessing tears, and even less of dealing with females of any sort – except one, but she was different – he was extremely uncomfortable and had no idea how to react. That wasn't entirely true, he knew how he should react to _her_ , in particular, but he couldn't find it in himself to sneer. She seemed to be anticipating such an action from him, though, for she had tensed her shoulders as she peeked up at him under her wet eyelashes. He'd expected her to make a hasty exit just to get away from his anticipated insults but she seemed reluctant to step into the corridor and he could only assume that she was unwilling to let any of the other students see how upset she currently was. Theo imagined he would feel the same way, but he could never remember having cried before so he couldn't be sure.

She shuffled to one side, showing him enough room to pass her on the staircase without having to touch her and it was such a submissive, uncharacteristic move for her to make that he actually felt himself become irritated, even as a voice that sounded suspiciously like his father crowed in his ear that the mudblood finally seemed to understand her place in the world. Theo pushed the heartless voice aside, internally retaliating with his own scathing voice that those views had certainly done his father no good, imprisoned as he was in Azkaban, partly thanks to the classmate standing before him. His thoughts on his father's actions were still a mess of conflicting emotions even though six months had passed that night in the Ministry.

Pushing his unresolved issues with his father aside, as ever, Theo returned to the current source of his irritation: the girl standing before him displaying unusual meekness but, mostly, the oaf that had triggered this response in her.

Theo glanced over his shoulder and was satisfied when he saw that it was unlikely that anyone else would be using this shortcut in the next few seconds and, therefore, they wouldn't overhear what he was about to say to Hermione Granger, mudblood, Gryffindor Princess and (much to Theo's annoyance) brightest student in their year.

"The best way to get revenge on Weasley is to make him jealous," he told her shortly, looking her dead in the eye before finally starting to ascend the staircase as though he had said nothing at all. He could feel Granger's wide eyes following his journey, an air of faint disbelief emanating from her, and the top step was nearly in sight when she called out to him.

"How did you know?"

He strongly considered ignoring her; he believed he _would_ have had she asked anything else, but it wouldn't do for her to be making assumptions about him should he stay silent. Theo turned and looked down at her, a light frown twisting his lips. "Believe it or not, I don't make it a habit of keeping tabs on your relationship status, Granger; I would honestly much prefer to be completely ignorant, but my best friend happens to be the biggest gossip in Slytherin when it comes to affairs of the heart. She takes interest in all rumours, regardless of house affiliation, and repeats everything that she hears to me even though I have asked her not to on many occasions and she knows I have absolutely no interest in hearing it."

This was evidently not the explanation that she had been expecting for she blinked at him a couple of times, her forehead creased in confusion. "Your best friend?" she questioned.

"Daphne Greengrass," he supplied. Her surprise was more evident this time but he ignored her gawking. "Even if I hadn't unintentionally internalised her gossiping, it still wouldn't have been exactly difficult to figure out the cause of your tears – Weasley's not exactly being discrete, is he?" he pointed out, unable to keep a distasteful look off of his face at the mental recollection of Weasley and Brown trying to eat each other's face.

Pain flashed across her face and Theo's irritation momentarily resurfaced. She might be a mudblood but no one, not even the most ardent pureblood supremacists in his house, could argue that she wasn't magically gifted. So, to see such a talented witch reduced to a tearful shell of herself over a pathetic excuse for a wizard like _Ron Weasley_ made Theo disproportionately annoyed, but he was beginning to regret having ever spoken at all. This was easily the longest exchange they'd ever had and he yearned to get out of this damned staircase and away from Granger's mooning expression over that incompetent prat. "Slytherins know all about getting revenge, Granger. I imagine you'll be attending Slughorn's party tonight so just take the date that'll annoy Weasley the most and enjoy the Weasel's suffering."

He turned abruptly and took the last remaining steps that would see him finally emerge onto the third floor corridor before she could form a response. The fake wall slid back into place with a satisfying click and Theo walked away, confident that the bizarre encounter had been similarly closed.

He could not have ever predicted how wholly wrong he was.

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A/N Eek! So apparently I no longer have self-control when it comes to starting new fics...

Let me know what you think so far! Interested in reading more?


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you, thank you, thank you to all who followed, favourited and reviewed! It's always so exciting when those notifications pop up!

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Theo sensed someone standing beside his table. It was such an unusual occurrence for someone to seek to interrupt his time studying in the library that as soon as some sixth sense alerted him of the unknown presence, he paused in the writing of his essay and glanced up curiously.

Hermione Granger was watching him cautiously as she fiddled with the strap of her schoolbag as it hung over her shoulder. Her bottom lip had been pulled between her teeth slightly and her eyes darted around his face, seemingly looking for some sort of sign but Theo didn't have the faintest idea what it was she sought.

"Are you just going to stand there or do you plan on saying something, Granger?" he asked bluntly. There were only thirty minutes left until dinner started and he fully intended to finish his Transfiguration homework before then.

His words seemed to shock her from her silent study for she finally looked away from his face, momentarily glancing at the floor with flushed cheeks, before fixing him with a less intense gaze. "Sorry," she murmured and then indicated the only other chair that served the table he was working at. "Would you mind if I joined you for a minute?"

Theo placed his quill down gently so as not to splatter ink on his parchment and then regarded her with the haughty look that he knew the rest of the school thought all Slytherins were taught immediately after being sorted. "What _exactly_ do you think happened between us on that staircase this morning?" he questioned.

She rolled her eyes and released a loud, exasperated sigh before pulling out the chair and promptly sitting herself in it. "I was only being polite," she replied, "I don't need your permission." She gazed at him challengingly, daring him to contradict her, but Theo said nothing, too confused about what in Salazar's name was going on. She suddenly seemed to think that her tone was too aggressive for she deflated her posture a little and her lips momentarily twitched into a frown. "Sorry," she said again, glancing down at her intertwined fingers. "I just thought…" she trailed off, giving him another appraising glance and Theo's simmering irritation with the bizarre encounter had become uncontainable.

"Thought _what_?" he snapped.

"That I'd ask you if would go to Slughorn's party with me tonight."

Theo stared at her, absolutely thunderstruck by her words. If someone had told him at breakfast that morning that Hermione Granger was going to ask him to Slughorn's Christmas party, he would have been seriously concerned for their mental health. He was having a hard time believing his _own_ ability to perceive and understand words for he still found it difficult to believe that sentence had actually come out of her mouth. She'd gone very tense, perhaps expecting him to laugh at her or insult her, and the fact that she wasn't laughing herself excluded the possibility that this was a very unamusing practical joke. Eventually he said, "When I suggested you take someone to the party to make Weasley jealous, I certainly wasn't hinting that you should go with _me_."

"No, I know," she said and looked like she wanted to say more, but Theo interrupted her.

"One conversation and a small offering of advice doesn't change anything between us."

"Well," she began but he cut across her again.

"We're _not_ friends, Granger!" he said sternly, feeling that it was quite bizarre he even needed to point that out.

She snorted in a very unladylike way. "Of course we're not!" she agreed with a little shake of her head.

"Then why – " he began but this time _she_ interrupted _him_.

"My reasons are fourfold," she said smoothly, placing her hands flat on the table in front of her. "Firstly, you most definitely qualify as someone Ron wouldn't approve of me attending the party with. I'm sure you don't need me to go into details as to why that would be." She raised an eyebrow questioningly at him but he kept his mouth firmly closed. Even if his father wasn't a convicted Death Eater, the animosity between the Slytherin and Gryffindor houses would be enough to make theirs an unpopular match.

"I hardly think I'm the only male at this school that could qualify for that point," he argued instead.

"Well, that brings me onto my second reason," she said calmly, and he had the distinct impression that she had rehearsed this conversation in her head a few times before approaching him. He didn't know whether that was a good thing or not: it showed that she _had_ given her proposal a good deal of thought yet, somehow, that hadn't seemed to put her off from the idea! "I don't want to have a horrible time tonight just to rub Ron's nose in it that I have a date."

"You _actually_ think you and I would enjoy the party if we attended together?" Theo asked, his tone of voice extremely sceptical.

Hermione shrugged. "As long as we don't discuss certain topics, I don't see why the evening shouldn't pass relatively pleasantly; we share many of the same subjects and I know you're intelligent, so I'm sure we could find something to talk about." She shrugged her shoulders again and glanced away from him as she said, "Besides, the only other two people I considered would have ensured my night would have been completely unbearable."

"So, I'm the best of the bad options," Theo translated. "Dare I ask who you graciously consider me to be better company than?"

Her cheeks reddened slightly as she replied, "Cormac McLaggen and Zacharias Smith."

Theo's lip curled in distaste. "I'm honoured you think so highly of me," he drawled.

She looked at him warily, as though she couldn't tell whether his tone showed he was wryly amused by her words or sneeringly offended. "Yes, well," she said, shifting in her seat, "the third reason is quite important because I really don't want to give whoever I take the wrong idea about why I've asked them. If I asked McLaggen or Smith out, then the arrogant sods might believe that I actually like them and I expect I would have to act like it's a real date." Her face briefly showed how little she thought of the prospect of having to talk, dance or even kiss the blond wizards but her expression cleared when her gaze returned to Theo's. "Whereas _you_ know I'm only asking you to make Ron jealous."

"Why couldn't you just _tell_ Smith or McLaggen why you're asking them?" Theo countered.

Granger shook her head. "They're too proud for that; their egos would never accept being asked purely to make another man jealous."

"But you think _I'll_ accept?" he posed.

A crinkle appeared in her forehead as she held him under her scrutiny. "I don't know," she admitted, "but, being a Slytherin, you _do_ understand the concept of revenge better than anyone I might ask from the other three houses – my fourth point." She pursed her lips together at this point, seeming to struggle to think of anything else to say now that she had come to the end of her prepared words. "So, um, what do you think?"

"Honestly?"

"…Yes."

"I think that someone must have cast a Confundus charm on you, Granger, because that is the craziest idea that I've ever heard," he said bluntly. "I have listened to all of your reasons but I still cannot fathom why you would consider me to be a good prospect to escort _you_ , of all people, to Sughorn's party. We don't like each other _at all_ ; we're practically enemies."

"You think I'm not _distinctly_ aware of who you are and what you represent?" she countered, her eyes flicking to the green on his uniform before returning to his own. Their joined gaze showed an understanding of the wide gulf that stood between them though no words were spoken: Gryffindor and Slytherin, pureblood and mudblood, son of a Death Eater and best friend of Harry Potter.

Considering who he was, was it _brave_ of her to approach him? _Stupid?_ _Reckless?_

She broke the eye contact first with a little sigh, and said quietly, "You didn't have to say anything."

"What?"

"In the staircase," she explained. "You saw that I was upset and, well, I actually thought you were going to insult me so I was happy when you just ignored me. You didn't have to say anything to help me but you _did_."

Theo fixed a cold expression on his face, disliking the appreciative and friendly look she was sending him in response to his earlier actions. "Please do not read anything into that," he told her, though he suspected that it was already too late.

"Look," she said, her tone becoming more matter-of-fact. "I don't all of a sudden think that you're a saint, Nott. Nor do I wish to become friends."

"Good," he interjected strongly, because he was worried that was _exactly_ what the soft-hearted girl wanted.

"I thought you might want to get out of the dungeon for an evening, practise the art of revenge, and help me annoy a Gryffindor. That's all there is to it." And with that announcement, she sat back in her seat, arms crossed over her chest defensively.

He surveyed her for a few moments, surprised to find that he was _actually_ considering her proposal.

The number of students attending Slughorn's party was really quite low and it was rumoured that a number of well-connected witches and wizards would be attending. It wouldn't hurt for him to be seen at a function like Slughorn's after the downturn in the family name thanks to his father's imprisonment.

There was nothing else that Theo had to attend to that night and he did anticipate taking enjoyment out of Weasley's hurt feelings. In fact, he expected that most of Gryffindor would be pissed at him for escorting their prized princess…

"Is that _all_ I'm going to be getting out of accepting your proposition?" he asked, pushing for more like the true Slytherin that he was.

She blinked in surprise at his words, probably not expecting a positive response. "What else do you want?" she asked then quickly added, "I'm not helping you with your homework!"

Theo rolled his eyes. "I don't _need_ your help with my studies," he retorted. "I didn't actually have a condition in mind but you have to admit that you would be getting a lot more out of this fake date than I would."

She shrugged her shoulders. "I suppose," she agreed reluctantly. "So… I would just owe you a favour?" she proposed, looking uncomfortable with the idea.

He scoffed. "Relax, Granger, you're hardly making a deal with the devil."

Her lips pulled up ever-so-slightly at his words. "But it _is_ a deal?" she asked. "You'll go to Slughorn's party with me."

Theo shook his head, hardly able to believe the words that were to come out of his mouth. "Yes, Granger, I'll go with you."

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A/N Please review if you liked it!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: You guys! I can't believe how many of you have followed/favourited/reviewed this story already! Thank you!

A very small section of dialogue in this chapter has been taken from HBP.

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" – and you'll _never_ guess who Potter asked to Slughorn's party," Daphne told him, the air of scandal permeating from her just as it always did when she was subjecting Theo to the latest gossip. She let the statement hang in the air between them as she raised her goblet to her lips, and arched a delicate eyebrow for dramatic effect.

"I don't care, Daph," Theo told her honestly, far more interested in the contents of his cottage pie.

Daphne clicked her tongue and gave him a disapproving frown for spoiling her fun, but Theo knew the knockback wouldn't last for long. Sure enough, no more than three seconds later her expression regained its former enthusiasm. " _Loony Lovegood_ ," she revealed with a small giggle. "Can you believe it? And here I thought the _Chosen One_ couldn't sink any lower in my eyes," she said scathingly.

Though Theo showed no reaction to her words, he certainly shared her low opinion of Potter – and no bizarre pact with his curly-haired best friend was going to change that.

For the fifth time in less than six minutes, his eyes involuntarily flicked over to the Gryffindor table to seek out the object of his thoughts, but she looked no different from the last time his gaze had strayed over to her. Granger was sat on her own, completely isolated from the fifth years on her left and her fellow sixth years on her right. He took a bite of mashed potato, wondering what she had done to leave her ostracised from the rest of her housemates – it couldn't just be because she'd fallen out with Weasley, could it? The whole house wouldn't turn on her for something so ridiculous, surely? But, then again, Gryffindors _were_ derided in Slytherin for their hot-headedness and being overly emotional.

He told himself that he didn't care about Granger's well-being (because he _really_ didn't) and that he was more irked by the hypocrisy of a house that claimed they were paragons of loyalty. Not even Potter was sat with Granger despite all the shit she was rumoured to have gotten into for him over the years. What an ungrateful prick.

He tuned back into Daphne's chattering in time to hear her repeat what a Ravenclaw had told her about the suspected guest list, and he noticed a definite hint of jealousy in her tone.

"You could have gone, Daph," he reminded her but she scoffed and flicked her golden hair over her shoulder.

"As if I'd go _anywhere_ with Blaise ' _vanity personified_ ' Zabini," she sneered, sending a disapproving glance along the table to their housemate. "I want a date that can't take their eyes off of _me_ not their own reflection in every shiny surface they can find." Theo choked a little on his mouthful of juice at her words and she grinned at him, before shrugging her shoulders indifferently. "Besides, if I went I'd miss the last night we're going to have together for two weeks – and that would be _completely_ unacceptable."

She smiled at Theo warmly and his cup paused on its journey back to the table, a slither of guilt curling in his stomach.

"Daphne, there's…" he began to say and his eyes, once again, unconsciously darted over to Granger. Unlike all the other times he'd looked her way, she now looked troubled and her gaze was focused on something a few seats along her table. Theo shifted his gaze slightly and saw at once what had annoyed her: Lavender Brown had arrived and she was currently stuffing her tongue down Weasley's throat. It was quite nauseating. His eyes slid back to Granger and he was mildly startled to see her looking back at him, a determined expression on her face.

" _Theo_!" Daphne's sharp tone brought his attention back to her. "What's got you so distracted?"

"I'm sorry," he replied, getting to his feet as she looked over her shoulder to try and locate what he'd been focused on. "I'll talk to you later."

" _What?_ " she said in alarm, turning back to him. "Where are you going? You haven't even finished your dinner!"

"It's fine," he said distractedly, "I can eat something later."

It was possible that Daphne called his name again but Theo's attention was now fixed on the upper end of the Gryffindor table, watching as Granger approached her fellow sixth years. The Patil twin noticed her first, breaking off her conversation with Potter and fixing an overly enthusiastic smile on her face as she greeted Granger.

Theo was wryly amused at the lack of subtlety his date possessed when she matched Patil's bright smile and greeting. "Are you going to Slughorn's party tonight?" Granger asked the girl.

"No invite," Patil replied gloomily. "I'd love to go, though; it sounds like it's going to be really good. You're going, aren't you?"

"Yes, I'm meeting Theo at eight and we're going up to the party together." The stupefying effect these words had on the Gryffindors in earshot was satisfying to Theo's gaze, so he could only imagine how much it was enhanced for Granger – especially when Weasley pulled back so abruptly from Brown she almost fell to the floor.

" _Theo_?" Patil repeated, her face a mixture of confusion and disbelief. "Theodore Nott, you mean?"

"That's right," Granger said brightly, probably relishing the dumbfounded look on Weasley's face. "The Slytherin who's top of his house."

"The one whose _Death Eater_ father tried to _kill_ us at the Ministry?" Potter asked incredulously, looking at Granger as though she'd gone mad. Behind him, a redness was creeping up Weasley's neck in a shade that Theo felt confident in predicting would clash horribly with his hair.

"Oh, Harry, you _know_ we should never judge someone by their relations," Granger gently rebuked him. "The actions of Theo's father don't have _any_ bearing on who he is as a person." Theo tried not to react to her words as he knew that they were said purely for the benefit of pissing off Weasley, but it did sound very strange that the voice that he was so used to hearing recite the text book now defending him to her friends.

Weasley's entire face was now so red that it appeared as though it was about to explode and Potter looked like he wanted to argue Granger's point, but Patil spoke first, leaning forward eagerly with wide eyes. "So, are you going out with him, then?

"Yes, she is," Theo announced, his approach undetected by the Gryffindors because they'd been so focused on Granger's astonishing news. "Not that it's any of your business, Patil."

If anything, Theo's presence and subsequent confirmation of Granger's claim only stunned the Gryffindors even more and there were a number of dropped jaws as their eyes took him in. Granger beamed at him and he let his amusement at the situation morph his face into a more pleasant expression than he usually wore.

"Do you want me to show you the book I told you about: the one I used to complete our arithmancy homework?" he asked her, pretending to ignore the gawking lions all around him. "It doesn't have the same applications as Laxman's method but it should help you to resolve the Euripium theorem that Professor Vector told us about."

Granger's smile took on a hint of mischief at his words for they had been utter nonsense – not that any of her idiotic eavesdropping 'friends' would have the faintest idea. "I'd love to see it," she said enthusiastically. "We'll have to be quick, though, if we don't want to be late to Slughorn's party."

Theo shrugged, as though the party everyone else was desperate to attend wasn't at all interesting to him (which was actually true). "That doesn't matter," he said casually, "I know you'll love this book. Here, let me." He reached out and pulled the strap of her bag off her shoulder and onto his own, before extending his other hand out towards hers.

There was almost a collective holding of breath as the students around them goggled at the sight of a Pureblood Slytherin holding out a hand to a mudblood. It was a step beyond what Theo had anticipated he would be doing when he'd approached the Gryffindor table, but the sight of her moronic friends had provoked him to commit to his part.

Granger hesitated for only a moment, her eyes locked uncertainly on his, before her smile widened and she slid her fingers against his. The sensation of their skin touching, her fingers twining through his, was so strange for him that he was suddenly reminded of how long it had been since he had last experienced it. Emotions stirred deep within him that he had taken great pains to bury many years ago, and he fought to stop them from surfacing.

Weasley made a strange strangled sound, which was suitably distracting, and Theo gave Granger's hand a gentle tug to move them away. She looked over her shoulder, throwing her friends a breezy, "See you later," and the two of them departed from the incredulous Great Hall.

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A/N Suffice to say, there will be more fallout from their little announcement from both houses!

Don't forget to review if you liked it!

Red

PS Do you guys have anyone in mind when you picture Theo? I've always wondered what other people think he looks like...


	4. Chapter 4

A/N Hi guys! Thanks for all your support.

A quick shout out of thanks to my guest reviewers because I can't respond through the site to you guys! And, as for my signed in reviewers; you guys know how much I love you!

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" _Bloody hell_ , Granger," Nott cursed when they were out of sight of the Great Hall, "your bag weighs a ton! You need to cast some sort of featherweight charm on it before you break your back."

Hermione laughed. "It _does_ have one but it's personally charmed to me," she replied, reaching out and taking the school bag back from him, demonstrating its lightweight properties for him by easily lifting it up and down a few times with one hand. His eyes followed her movements, a contemplative expression on his face.

"How interesting," he murmured before raising his curious gaze to her face. "How did you isolate its effects?"

Hermione felt her lips twitch with bemusement: she and Nott had just broken one of the biggest taboos in Hogwarts and he was far more interested in her foray into spells that recognised magical signatures. He'd certainly surpassed all of the expectations she'd held when she'd asked if he'd attend Slughorn's party with her – an action she could still hardly believe she'd done, but if Ron's thunderstruck reaction was anything to go by, it was a decision she was pleased she'd had the courage to make.

"It was in a book on magical signatures," she told him as they neared the Entrance Hall's marble staircase. "We can get _that_ book from the library, if you want, seeing as the one _you_ spoke about doesn't exist," she suggested, a grin on her face.

He smirked at her. "I thought you'd enjoy that – I swear their eyes glazed over when I started with the arithmancy gibberish."

Hermione chuckled, still feeling the rush of adrenaline that was a consequence of the deception she'd laid before her friends. A small part of her wondered if she should feel guilty, but then she remembered how badly they'd treated her recently and her guilt vanished instantly.

"I don't know why I've never tried that trick on them before," she mused. "I reckon I could tell them that I'd read almost anything in a book and they'd believe me."

"You _should_ ," Nott proposed, as they climbed the marble stairs, "it'll be another step on your exploratory path of Slytherin traits – showcasing your inferiors' ignorance without them having the faintest idea."

Hermione paused at his words and Nott looked back at her with faint surprise – both at her hesitation and at their fingers, which were still weaved together. His eyes flicked between her face and their hands for a moment as his expression morphed into a frown. A second later, her hand was her own once again and she was surprised at how quickly coldness seeped into her fingers at the broken contact.

"You think I'm superior to them?" she asked him, confusion evident in her tone. She'd rebuked Harry a few minutes ago for making assumptions about someone based on their background but she'd suffered from that more than most since her arrival in the magical world, and to hear Nott speak in her favour – without an audience to dupe – contradicted all her experiences with Slytherins thus far.

"Well, of course – intellectually speaking," he explained. "Your grades speak for themselves."

"Right," she said shortly, the mood becoming noticeably more sombre. " _Intellectually_ speaking."

His face was impassive as he said, "Granger – " but she cut him off.

"No, I don't think I want to hear it. This," she indicated the two of them, "is just business; let's keep it that way." She tried to infuse her former positivity into her words but she was annoyed with herself for feeling disappointed. She'd _known_ what she was getting herself into when she'd approached him, but apparently his gentlemanly act was enough to sweep away her expectations of who Theodore Nott was.

Loud, chattering voices excited about the imminent start of the Christmas holidays drifted up the marble staircase. Nott retook her hand so they could resume their journey to the library before anyone spotted the break in their act.

The next few minutes passed in awkward silence. Hermione found that the feel of her fingers twined through Nott's wasn't as comforting as it had been earlier.

The few students that they passed openly gaped at them and Professor Sinistra dropped the scrolls of parchment she had been carrying but the pair of them feigned ignorance.

When they entered the corridor that led to the library, Nott stopped her. "Stop being such a Gryffindor about this," he instructed her with a hint of frustration.

She opened her mouth, intending to defend herself and her house, but he didn't give her the chance. "Your emotions are getting in the way," he elaborated and she pursed her lips with a slight huff, unable to deny it. "Focus on the end result – what is it exactly that you want to get out of this?"

Hermione considered his question. "It's just about making Ron jealous," she replied.

"Is that all?" he asked. "Do you want Weasley to break up with Brown for you?"

"What?!" she gasped, horrified that he would even suggest such a wicked thing. "Of course not!"

"Relax, Granger," he drawled, "You're talking to a Slytherin, remember? We've done far worse for far more unsavoury reasons."

" _You_ have?" she asked before she could stop herself.

"Not personally, no," he admitted, brushing away a lock of dark hair that had fallen across his eyes. "But I know plenty who have and I don't judge them for it…" he said, his voice trailing off. "So, if you want Weasley to yourself – "

"I don't!" she cried but he gave her a disbelieving look. "I _don't_ ," she insisted more firmly, and she was reassured to feel a newfound sense of conviction to those words where Ron was concerned. Yes, there had been a time, not long ago, where she had felt something was brewing between them and she'd mentioned going to Slughorn's party together – a prospect he'd seemed to be in favour of at the time… But then it was like a switch had been flipped; he'd become distant and moody towards her and she still didn't know what she'd done to cause his change in behaviour. Things had gotten worse when she'd falsely attributed Ron's sudden goalkeeping prowess to a dose of _felix felicis_ ; he'd started snogging Lavender less than two hours later and had barely stopped since. Her heart had been broken by Ron Weasley and he seemed to be going out of his way to rub his relationship in her face. She'd honestly thought that Ron had returned her tentative feelings but the way he'd treated her lately wasn't how you'd behave towards a friend, let alone someone you _liked_. Hermione _never_ would have treated him like that and it _hurt_ that the fantasy she'd built around him had been so cruelly revealed as nothing but the fanciful daydreams of a crushing teenager. So, no, she didn't want him anymore – how could she respect herself for wanting someone who'd hurt her so badly? It may have taken a direct question from Nott to bring her to that realisation but she was glad he had: it was like a great weight had been removed from her shoulders. But that didn't mean she no longer wanted revenge…

Nott was watching her closely and he must have seen something that convinced him she was being serious for he said, "Well, what _do_ you want, then?"

"I want him to see what an _idiot_ he's been," she said.

" _Idiot_?" Nott repeated, his lips quirking upwards slightly. "Come on, Granger, you can do better than that: think of the rudest word you can and let rip – he deserves it."

Hermione felt her cheeks flush. Swear words had never really been part of her vocabulary but she'd heard enough from her housemates over the years… "He's been a, an _arse_ ," she said quietly.

Nott gave her a disappointed look. "That's a P Grade, Granger. Have you ever had one of those in your education before?"

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. How dare he mock her efforts and use the grading system to do so! "Ron's a prick."

Nott mulled it over. "Acceptable," he declared.

"A, a b-bloody _bastard_!" she said haltingly, her cheeks so warm she could feel the air around her face becoming heated.

"Exceeds expectations," Nott announced, smirking slightly. He crossed his arms over his chest and raised his eyebrow challengingly, _daring_ her to aim for an O.

Hermione's chest rose and fell quickly, her heart beating strongly against her ribcage as nervousness bubbled in her stomach. She licked her lips and forced herself to speak in a firm, clear tone. "He's a _fucking_ _cunt_."

Nott's smirk widened as far as it could possibly go. " _Outstanding_ , Miss Granger," he praised her and she had to rest a hand against the cool stone wall to combat a sudden wave of light-headedness. "And you're going to make that cunt rue the day that he crossed you," he said, his voice almost as soft as a purr. "Now, shall we go and retrieve that fascinating book?"

* * *

A/N Thanks for reading!

I feel like I ought to point out that this isn't a Ron-bashing fic - I'm going to keep everyone in character as much as possible. That being said, Ron's a complete twat to Hermione in this book (and most books when you really think about it). It's odd because when I'm reading the actual books, I get caught up in the story and I don't mind Ron at all. But when I see his behaviour through Hermione's eyes, he makes me really angry! Even Harry treats her pretty poorly sometimes when she's only ever been completely loyal to him. I just want Hermione to stop being a bit of a doormat for her friends, you know?

Anyway, remember to review if you liked it - and keep the Theo fancasts coming!

I'm hoping to update again on Monday evening (it's currently Sunday morning here) so if you do your bit, I'll hopefully be a productive writer today!

Love,

Red


	5. Chapter 5

A/N Yay! I kept to my word. Your third chapter in 4 days. Aren't you guys lucky!

* * *

The reaction to Theo's entrance into the Slytherin Common Room hadn't, to an outsider, appeared to be different to that of any of his fellow housemates. But, then again, outsiders didn't understand how Slytherins operated.

He was mostly ignored (which was nothing new) as he walked indifferently to his dormitory, but the few sidelong glances that were sent his way were telling enough.

Typically, Slytherins were not inclined to impulsive reactions when something unusual happened. Instead, they observed and waited for the perfect time to strike. Theo had no doubt that the news of his 'relationship' had spread throughout his house and he knew very well what they would think of it. He was aware that he would be watched closely now before the right person was appointed to confront him. Hierarchy was all important to the Slytherins – everyone knew their place and if they overstepped the mark, they would be harshly reminded of it. Theo had never really bought into all of that and he'd been _far_ more interested in his studies. If he'd made more of his status, like Malfoy had, he'd be almost untouchable, but his unwillingness to play his part left him somewhat vulnerable. There were still very few who outranked him and his father's reputation as one of the Dark Lord's most devoted and longest-serving followers demanded a certain amount of respect even though he'd been imprisoned.

Zabini and Goyle were the only other sixth year boys present when Theo pushed open the heavy wooden door of his dormitory. They both looked up at his entrance and Theo made sure to meet their gazes unconcernedly.

Goyle was in the process of packing his things for the start of the Christmas holidays, though Theo wasn't sure why he wasn't using his wand to complete the chore. Goyle was staring at him with the same expression he wore whenever he attempted his homework – Theo's actions had obviously left the lumbering fool utterly confused.

Blaise was radiating his usual haughty air – a face of conceit that outdid all other arrogant Slytherins, Draco included – but there was a hint of calculation in his almond eyes. Zabini was a staunch supporter of Pureblood supremacy and Theo knew he was struggling to understand what possible motive he could have for deigning to touch a filthy mudblood. Even if he _did_ explain that it was to piss off Weasley, he doubted that Blaise would consider that enough of a justification.

Theo ignored them both, placing the new library book bedside his bed, before kicking off his shoes so that he could sit himself comfortably on the green bedding. He reached for the Granger-recommended book on magical signatures and started to read. A soft clunking noise told him that Goyle had resumed his packing. Theo covertly glanced up at Blaise and nearly snorted in derision at the sight of him preening himself in preparation for the party, which was still ninety minutes away. _Vanity personified_ , indeed.

Theo refocused on the book and was quickly able to forget his surroundings as his eyes darted across the words on the page.

Sometime later, there were a couple of rapid knocks on the door. The boys looked at each other but no one seemed to be expecting a visitor. Goyle frowned and dropped another item into his trunk on his way to the door.

From him position on his bed, Theo couldn't see who it was but when they snapped, " _Get out_!" he recognised Daphne's voice instantly. He saw Goyle hesitate for a moment but then he grudgingly left the dormitory.

Daphne stepped into view, her frame tense and her green eyes blazing. She pierced Theo with an unreadable expression before she turned to Zabini. "You too," she ordered. "Get out. I need to talk to Nott."

Blaise's posture hardened at her words. "You don't get to boss me around, Greengrass," he said lowly.

In response, Daphne drew her wand and pointed it at his head. "If you don't get out, I will happily ruin your pretty face for a few hours, Blaise," she said with false-sweetness.

Blaise glared at her for a moment before stalking out of the room and slamming the door behind him.

"I'm not sure that was wise, Daph," Theo said, aware that Zabini was already annoyed with her for turning him down for Slughorn's party.

"You don't think _that_ was wise?" She still had her back to him but the brittleness of her tone and her hands clenched into fists made that inconsequential. At his silence, she whipped around, her hair and robes flying around her dramatically. "What the _fuck_ is going on, Theo?" she demanded, hands on her hips.

Theo glanced down at the page he was reading, making a mental note for next time, then shut it and put it aside. He levelled Daphne with a calm gaze. "I'm going to Slughorn's Christmas party with Granger."

She grimaced at his confirming words. " _Why?_ " she asked. "What in Merlin's name would possess you to do something so stupid?"

"She asked me," he replied simply.

Daphne let out a cry of disbelief at his meagre response and shook her head at him. "She's a mudblood!"

"I know."

" _Potter's_ mudblood. You know; the one who helped get your father locked up in Azkaban!" she snapped. She shuddered and bit her lip, looking a little remorseful. They never talked about his father or his fate.

"You're not telling me anything that I'm not already aware of," he said delicately.

"Then _why_?" she asked imploringly, desperate to understand. "Why are you going with her?"

"Does it matter?" he countered.

"Of course it fucking matters!" she snarled, her temper flaring up again. "This isn't the time for games, Theo. We're on the brink of a full-out _war_ and if the Dark Lord rises to power, it's not going to be good for anyone who's a friend to mudbloods and bloodtraitors! You're risking your _life_ , Theo."

He could see, now, that underneath all of her anger she was scared for him.

An angry Daphne he could deal with – he'd have a whole house of hissing snakes to put up with, after all – but he didn't like the prospect of her worrying for him. That wasn't fair on her.

Theo got to his feet and closed the distance between them. "Before we go into my reasons, is it safe to assume that you're pissed at me for withholding from you the most interesting gossip Hogwarts has had in years?" She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him, but the brief upward twitch of her lips told him his assessment was accurate. "And if I _had_ informed you I was going with Granger, we both know that you would've been unable to keep that information to yourself, right?" She pursed her lips but said nothing. " _A Gryffindor dating a Slytherin_. Come on, Daph. If it had been anyone but me you'd be talking my bloody ear off right now about how scandalous it is."

"What's your point?" she muttered bitterly.

"I don't want you to worry about me; thinking that I've lost my mind or become a blood traitor," Theo began and Daphne raised an eyebrow at him, apparently believing _exactly_ that. "But if you want me to tell you, you can't tell anyone. It would defeat the whole purpose of what we're doing."

" _We_?" she questioned.

"Me and Granger."

Confusion flickered over her face again and she sighed, holding a hand to her head. "What the fuck is going on, Theo?" she asked, repeating her earlier question wearily.

"You're not going to tell anyone?" he asked.

"Not if it means so bloody much to you," she grumbled.

"We're doing it to hurt Weasley," he admitted simply. He hadn't planned on telling Daphne the truth when he'd accepted Granger's invitation, but he hadn't anticipated his friend becoming so anxious about him either. When it came to friends, he only really had her. She'd stood by the quiet, studious boy throughout their entire time together at Hogwarts. She deserved to know the truth, not that she looked very impressed with it.

"So, it's all fake?"

"Of course."

"You're just doing her a favour to piss the Weasel off and make him jealous?"

"Yes."

She let out an exasperated sigh. "But… Theo that doesn't make things any better! Why would you agree to help her?"

His lips twitched as he thought of her four-fold reasons but he said, "She owes me now. How many Slytherins do you know with a hold over a Gryffindor? And not just _any_ lion, remember?"

Daphne stared at him with wide eyes. "You're playing a dangerous game, Theo."

"I'm playing both sides of the game, Daph," he corrected. "If the light wins, I'll have Granger to fight my corner; if the Dark Lord wins, I'll say I was just using her to get information on Potter and the rest of the light."

There was a long pause as Daphne continued to stare at him. Eventually, she shook her head and breathed, "Theo that's… that's either the stupidest or most brilliant thing I've ever heard."

He laughed. "Thanks. _That_ story, about how I'm using her to get information, that you can leak just to the Slytherins, by the way – but leave out the bit about making Weasley jealous. If the prat found out, he'd make Granger feel worse than ever and I don't think she'd think too kindly of me after that."

"You want me to make it seem like Granger _actually_ likes you?" she asked uncertainly.

"Hey, that's not completely unbelievable – I can be charming," Theo said defensively. "I take it you saw that scene at dinner?"

Daphne pointed an accusing finger at him. "Don't bring that up – I'm still mad at you for keeping me in the dark, you sneaky bastard."

"You didn't leave me much choice, Daph," he pointed out, "I know you too well."

Daphne shrugged but smirked at him. "So, how did it feel to touch a mudblood? Have you managed to wash her stink off yet?"

Theo sent her a flat look. "She felt no different to any other witch or wizard I've had physical contact with."

"Well, it is her _blood_ that's supposed to be dirty, isn't it?" Daphne replied snootily, but there was definitely an underlying hint of teasing in her demeanour.

"Aside from your concern that I'm going to get murdered by the Dark Lord for escorting Granger to a single party, do you have a personal problem with this arrangement?" he asked her.

She didn't seem to have been expecting such a direct question but she covered it quickly and her mood became forcibly lighter. "Of course not. If it weren't for the state of affairs beyond the castle, it would be the funniest thing I've ever heard. Either way, students will be talking about this for years."

"But what's the mood like down there? Are they baying for my blood?" he asked, motioning in the general direction of the Common Room.

Daphne shook her head. "They don't know _what_ to think – and it didn't help that I, your so-called best friend, couldn't offer them any explanation."

"Well, now you can," Theo replied.

"Yes, alright, I'll protect your skinny arse once again," she said grudgingly. "But don't be surprised if they still call you a bloodtraitor for touching her."

"I don't care what they say," he said in a tone of voice that was more confident than he truly felt.

"Well, I expect they'll take their cue from Draco," she pointed out. "He hasn't showed up in the Common Room yet and I don't think he knows because I didn't see him at dinner. And before you scoff that you don't care what _he_ thinks, need I remind you that he's been putting it about since the start of the year that he's joined up."

Theo's stomach lurched uneasily at the thought of receiving the Dark Lord's mark. "I guess I'll have to convince him myself," he murmured, not relishing the idea.

"Be sure that you do," Daphne said solemnly but then she giggled and punched his arm lightly. "And for Salazar's sake, don't you dare go falling in love with that swotty, frizzy-haired, stuck-up mudblood."

Theo rolled his eyes. "Well, it'll be _extremely_ difficult," he said sarcastically, "but I'll try my best not to, I promise."

* * *

A/N Thanks for reading! I honestly don't know when the next chapter will be up...

Remember to review if you liked the chapter and the sneaky Slytherins!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Thanks for your support!

* * *

"Hermione Jean Granger you open this door right now and explain what _in Godric's name_ I just saw in the Great Hall!"

Hermione winced at the combined loudness of Ginny's yells and her excessive banging on the door. She'd only been back from her trip with Nott to the library for a couple of minutes and she'd intended to make the most of the empty dormitory to get herself ready for Slughorn's party before Parvati or Lavender showed up, asking unending, nosy questions. Ginny was a welcome visitor, though, as long as she could accept her decision to go with Nott…

Hermione flicked her wand at the door so that it swung open and Ginny marched inside, her cheeks flushed and eyes wide.

"What?" Hermione asked casually.

"Don't you just stand there and bloody well _'what'_ me," Ginny berated, shoving the door closed behind her.

"It's not that big a deal, Ginny," Hermione argued calmly.

"Oh, don't give me that, you know _exactly_ how radical the prospect of you going out with Nott is," Ginny scoffed. "If it had been a bloke from any other house I'd assume you were just trying to make my idiot brother jealous but, _Nott_ , Hermione? What the hell were you thinking asking him?! Is he blackmailing you or something?" Before she gave Hermione the chance to respond, Ginny's eyes widened and she gasped. She suddenly grabbed Hermione's arms and peered intently into her eyes. "You're not under the Imperius Curse, are you?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "No, of course not! And he's not blackmailing me either."

Ginny frowned. "Then I can only conclude that you've gone and lost your mind over my utter _arse_ of a brother." Her nose wrinkled in distaste at the thought.

Hermione smiled at her friend's dramatic conclusions. "I _haven't_ lost my mind, Ginny."

She didn't look convinced. "You're dating a _Slytherin_ , Hermione – are you trying to tell me you have a sane reason for doing so? You know what they think of muggleborns; you know what happened to his father…"

Hermione sighed and turned away from Ginny on the pretence of taking her dress robes out of the wardrobe. She had intended to keep the truth about her deal with Nott very much to herself, but she found her resolve weakening around Ginny. The younger girl had always been very open around Hermione; trusting her with secrets – particularly of the heart – that she would share with no one else. Maybe it was because Ginny normally had to put up with an inordinate amount of brothers? But Hermione had never had a sister either and she enjoyed having a female friend that she could trust. Ginny was the only person she'd told in advance about attending the Yule Ball with Viktor and she had kept that secret solemnly. Perhaps she could be trusted with this one too?

She turned back, fixing Ginny with an earnest expression. "We've always been honest with each other so I'll tell you the truth, but you've got to promise not to tell Ron."

Ginny scoffed noisily. "As if I'd tell that prat anything you've shared in confidence! I swear that whatever you tell me will stay between us."

Hermione nodded and opened her mouth so she could begin to share everything that had gone on between herself and Nott, but paused at the sound of loud giggling coming from the other side of the door. Hermione had spent long enough in the same dorm as them to know that Parvati and Lavender were climbing the spiral staircase. Ginny seemed to recognise the owners of the voices too because she wrinkled her nose.

"Come on," she urged, grabbing Hermione's arm. "Let's get ready for the party in my room – I'm the only girl in my year going tonight so the rest will still be in the Common Room."

Hermione nodded eagerly. "That sounds like a good idea." As soon as those words were out of her mouth, the door was thrown open and her two dorm-mates walked in, their eyes honing in on Hermione eagerly.

"Sorry, ladies – no time to talk," Ginny announced, barging through the pair as she dragged Hermione with her, "we've got a party to get ready for!" Hermione just about managed to maintain her grip on her dress-robes as she stumbled past the disappointed looks on the other girls' faces.

"Oh, but – " Parvati began to say.

"Bye!" Hermione called over her shoulder as she descended the stairs with Ginny. The pair of them giggled as they hurried into the fifth-year dorms.

"Nosy cows," Ginny muttered, taking Hermione's robes from her and laying them gently on her bed before turning to Hermione with an ironic smirk on her face as she said, "Now tell me all about Nott!"

Hermione told her everything: starting with Nott's unexpected advice in the secret passageway, through their agreement to attend the party together and right up to the insults he'd managed to coax out of her in regards to Ron (though she refused to repeat exactly what she had said). Ginny listened to it all with wide eyes and frequent questions. When Hermione had finished, Ginny had a bewildered expression on her face.

"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes…" she breathed, shaking her head.

"You don't need to tell me," Hermione pointed out, still utterly bemused by the chain of events. "But even if it does all end up going horribly wrong tonight, at least it's helped me resolve some of my feelings about Ron."

Ginny scowled. "Why do my brothers make such horrific decisions when it comes to women? First Phlegm and now Lavender! _Idiots._ "

Hermione simply shrugged, not prepared to comment, and suggested they actually commence getting ready for the party.

The next hour passed pleasantly as they discussed the guests that were expected to attend, talked through their plans for the Christmas holidays, laughed over Ron's stupefied expression at dinner and pondered over Nott's unexpected willingness to help Hermione.

"I never really knew who he was until Harry named his dad as a Death Eater in the Quibbler article," Ginny revealed as she made the finishing touches to her make up. "He's pretty nondescript for a Slytherin, isn't he?"

"I think he prefers it that way," Hermione said thoughtfully, thinking back on what she'd casually observed over the years.

"Well, _something's_ obviously changed if he's going out with you," Ginny pointed out. "The rest of Slytherin won't be very happy with him."

"No, I guess not," Hermione murmured. "But… if he was worried about that, he wouldn't have agreed, would he?"

Ginny laughed. "Don't ask me to try and work out what's going on in Nott's head – I _really_ don't understand him." She turned to Hermione with a giggle. "Maybe he just really fancies you!"

Hermione snorted contemptuously. "I _don't_ think so."

Ginny shrugged but she was still grinning. "Don't be so sceptical – he's still a teenaged boy after all! My brother might have somehow convinced you otherwise, but you're beautiful, brave and brilliant, Hermione. Any guy would be lucky to have you."

Hermione laughed, aware that her friend was just being nice. "Thanks, Ginny."

"And, you know, if you ignore his background, Nott's actually pretty hot," Ginny said casually.

Hermione nearly dropped the bottle of perfume the other girl was handing her.

Ginny smirked at her reaction. "What, don't you think so? I couldn't really tell you for sure because I've only looked at him as the Death Eater's son and a Slytherin before, and then at dinner I was too busy gawking at the whole spectacle to get a proper look at him, but he _is_ pretty handsome, isn't he?"

"I, I hadn't really thought about it before," Hermione muttered but Ginny shook her head.

"You've been having classes with him for years, Hermione. It doesn't take much brain power to conclude whether someone has a good-looking face or not."

A mental image of her date swam, unbidden, before her eyes. Of course she knew what Nott looked like but she hadn't ever given much thought over whether she _liked_ the way he looked – it had never seemed at all relevant. But now that she was being encouraged to consider it, she found herself wondering whether it was purely her imagination that had highlighted the high cheekbones of his face and the striking, intelligent blue eyes that contrasted with the dark strands of hair that sometimes strayed across his forehead. It certainly wasn't an unappealing image…

Some of her thoughts must have shown on her face because Ginny smirked knowingly at her and nudged her in the ribs. " _See_. I told you!" she said smugly and Hermione tried to pretend that her cheeks weren't growing warm.

A few minutes before eight, the girls descended the stairs to the Common Room. Officially, the Christmas holidays didn't start until the next day but there was already a buzz of excitement as the students celebrated that they had the next two weeks to do whatever they wanted. It was packed with people chatting noisily and playing exploding snap, but Hermione noticed that the tone definitely shifted when she and Ginny emerged into the chaos. Hermione had experienced people staring and whispering about her before, but it never got any easier. She tried to ignore them as she wended her way through the various groups of students. With a promise to meet regularly at the party and a last warning to make sure she didn't let her guard down around Nott, Ginny left to greet Dean, while Hermione headed straight for the portrait hole.

She was already halfway into the corridor when she heard someone calling her name. Glancing back over her shoulder, she saw a familiar flash of red hair heading in her direction but she decided to ignore it.

"Hermione – wait!" Ron called as he hurried out into the corridor after her, but she didn't break her stride. "Will you just _stop_ and _listen_ to me?"

"Why should I?" she retorted loud enough for him to hear.

A figure emerged at the other end of the corridor and she saw that it was Nott. Hermione halted in surprise, expecting to meet him outside Slughorn's office where the party was due to be held. Her recent conversation with Ginny about his attractiveness flew through her brain and she couldn't stop herself appraising the way his dark dress-robes suited his tall, slender frame. Her eyes drifted up to his face and she didn't know whether to be pleased or alarmed that her brain _hadn't_ exaggerated his handsome features.

She was so distracted by his unexpected arrival that Ron's presence had completely slipped her mind until she felt his hand on her arm. She whipped her head around in shock.

"You can't go with that bastard, Hermione," he said emotively.

"Let go, Ron," she ordered but he ignored her.

"Have you gone _crazy_?" he pressed instead. "His dad tried to kill us!"

"Kindly unhand my date, Weasley," Nott's cold voice called down the corridor and Hermione saw Ron tense immediately, apparently having been unaware that the Slytherin was nearby. Ron glared furiously at Nott and Hermione pulled her arm from his grasp and took a few steps away from him… towards Theo.

Nott turned towards her, as though dismissing Ron's very existence, and inclined his head towards her respectfully. "You look beautiful, Hermione," he told her, and a flurry of confusing emotions flittered through her. She knew that he was only acting, but he was apparently very good at it because his words and gaze caused a warmth to spread through her chest.

"Th-thank you," she replied (far less smoothly than she would have liked). "You look very handsome, Theo," she told him honestly.

He inclined his head towards her again. "Thank you." Out of nowhere, he produced a small posy of flowers – all soft pinks, whites and a glint of gold – and Hermione gasped at the sight.

He held them out to her and she accepted them, more than a little stunned at the gesture for what was just a fake date. "They're beautiful," she breathed. "Thank you."

"May I?" Nott asked, indicating the flowers. Hermione didn't know what he was suggesting but she nodded. He tugged a small pink rosebud from the posy and deftly tucked it in her hair, his actions leaving her cheeks burning once more.

A sudden shriek of, " _Ron!_ " cut through the tender moment and Hermione abruptly became aware of her surroundings again. Her former crush was gaping at her as though he was trapped in a horrific nightmare, while Lavender was stalking up the corridor with an apologetic-looking Harry behind her.

"You can't go with him," Ron said weakly; almost desperately.

Nott held out the crook of his elbow and Hermione looped her arm through it. "I think you'll find you can't tell me what to do, Ron," she said firmly and then allowed Nott to escort her in the direction of the party.

* * *

A/N: Someone requested a bit of fluff for this chapter so there you go everyone!

We're _finally_ going to the party in the next chapter. It's taken me a lot longer to get there than I thought it would! The chapters also seem to be generally increasing in length, which wasn't my intention but I doubt any of you are complaining, right?

Don't forget to review if you liked it!

Red


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Thanks for all the ways you've been supporting this fic.

* * *

As they rounded the corner and disappeared from the sights of Weasley, Potter and Brown, Theo heard Granger release a deep breath.

"You did well," Theo told her and she smiled up at him. "How did it feel to put the cunt in his place?"

She blushed slightly at his use of the crude language but her eyes were bright as she said, " _Extremely_ satisfying."

Theo nodded. "Good."

"The flowers were a nice touch," she said, holding the small posy up to her nose to inhale the scent. "They're really beautiful."

She smiled up at him again and his eyes travelled from the warm expression on her face to the small buds he had tucked into her hair. He could still recall the sensation of her curls as they'd tickled against his fingers. He'd never really thought about what her hair would feel like but he'd been surprised at the softness of it, and he'd had to resist the sudden, strange urge to bury his fingers further into the silky tendrils. The horrified expression on Weasley's face had been conveniently diverting and Theo had made sure to send a smug, gloating look the redhead's way as he'd gently slid the flowers into place.

Theo returned his eyes to hers and something in her gaze prompted him to say, "They were Daphne's idea."

Her expression faltered slightly, which he deemed to be a good thing; it wouldn't do for her to be making false assumptions about him.

"Oh, I see," she murmured. She tried to hide it but Theo could hear the slight hint of disappointment in her tone. Was Hermione Granger _really_ disappointed that he hadn't thought to bring her flowers himself? What a strange thought. Their deal was only a few hours old and Theo was disturbed that there was a chance she was blurring the lines of their business relationship. He was half-tempted to say something to reaffirm that they were _not_ friends and that their 'date' wouldn't change that, but he didn't think that was wise: he had meant what he'd said to Daphne about keeping on Granger's good side so that she could be an ally should he need one in the future – frostily encouraging her to keep her distance wouldn't exactly promote the goodwill between them. Besides, the ruse only needed to be maintained for a few more hours and he wasn't exactly the sort to put down a girl who was already mildly depressed. He may have helped her reach some sort of epiphany regarding her feelings towards Weasley but even _he_ knew, despite his limited experience with relationships, that she wouldn't be over the red-haired moron at the drop of a wand.

The rest of the journey to Slughorn's office passed in a silence that was mildly awkward and Theo found himself questioning Granger's earlier belief that they'd have an enjoyable night together and find plenty to talk about.

More guests began to drift into the corridors from the lower floors and Theo felt her hand tighten slightly against his arm. Some of their fellow students turned their heads to stare at the unlikely couple but Slughorn's guests from outside the castle paid them no mind as they converged on the party location.

"I've heard a rumour that a vampire will be in attendance," Theo quietly said to Granger so that they weren't just walking mutely next to each other.

She glanced up at him, face alight with interest. "Yes, I heard that too," she whispered back. "I've never encountered one before. Have you?"

"No," Theo replied. "But I've always wanted to see one in the flesh. It'll be interesting to see how it compares to my head of house – the rumour that Snape's really a vampire has been doing the rounds in Slytherin ever since he became Potions Master."

Her eyes widened and she laughed, quickly stifling her mirth behind her posy of flowers. "You don't believe that, do you?"

"Of course not," Theo scoffed. "But it's always fun to scare the first years by pointing out all the vampire traits he possesses."

Granger laughed again but there was a slight look of surprise in her expression. "But I thought you all loved Professor Snape – he so obviously favours Slytherins."

"Doesn't prevent us from noticing him swooping around like a giant bat, does it?" Theo countered. "Are you telling me you've never joked around about McGonagall or Dumbledore even though they so obviously favour Gryffindors?"

She gasped, looking positively scandalised by the very idea and he had to refrain from letting out a snort of amusement at her expression. "Of course not!" she protested. "And they _don't_ favour us."

Theo sent her a disbelieving look.

"They don't!" she insisted. "I've never seen Snape take points away from his house before but McGonagall took fifty points off of me in my first year and gave me a detention."

Theo maintained a cool persona. "Well, were you breaking a rule?" he enquired casually, fully aware of the answer.

Her face flushed crimson and after a moment's pause she admitted, "…Yes."

"Then it sounds like you deserved it," he said with a shrug. "The reason Snape doesn't take points is because Slytherins don't break the rules."

Granger scoffed softly. "Liar."

Theo smirked at her. "Or if they do, they're clever enough not to get caught."

She rolled her eyes. "That sounds far more accurate."

"What, are you telling me _you_ haven't broken another rule since your first year?" he questioned.

"I'll have you know that since that misdemeanour in my youth, I have only ever been docked points from Snape, Umbridge and Malfoy for trivial reasons such as telling the truth or knowing the answer."

They were only a few steps away from the entrance to Slughorn's party and Theo could hear the typical hum of chatter and the clinking of glasses within. They were much closer to some of the other guests as they all queued to enter and be greeted by Professor Slughorn, so Theo bent down and whispered in her ear, "That didn't really answer my question, Granger. You may not have been docked serious points recently but I think we both know that you're not quite as innocent as you seem."

He pulled away just as the guests in front of them moved into the party, leaving them standing directly in front of Slughorn. Granger was too busy staring at Theo with her mouth slightly agape to notice, and it was only when their Potions professor boomed, "Miss Granger, how marvellous!" that she abruptly turned her gaze to the portly man, the blush creeping across her face again.

"Thank you for inviting me, Professor," she said, recovering quickly.

Slughorn waved away her gratitude. "Can't have one of the leading students in the school missing out on something like this, can we?" he divulged rather pompously and that's when he seemed to take in Theo standing with her hand tucked into his elbow. Theo downplayed the haughtiness level of his usual smirk to show that he had no hard feelings about his own lack of invitation despite his impressive school grades. Slughorn's face became comically surprised as his eyes flicked between the pair of them. "Oho!" he declared, his great walrus moustache fluttering with the force of his exclamation. "Now this _is_ an interesting turn of events. I can't say I can recall many inter-house partnerships between Slytherin and Gryffindor and certainly none of quite this…"he waved his hand, searching for the appropriate word. Slughorn's eyes had zeroed in on Theo with greater interest than on any previous occasion. "…This _significance_ ," he finally settled on. "There's certainly more to you than meets the eye," he said, his gaze still switching between them, leaving Theo to wonder whether Slughorn was addressing him, Granger, or the pair of them. "Enjoy the party, Mr Nott, Miss Granger." He said, throwing his arm wide to grant them entrance into his office.

It was a much larger room than Theo was expecting, which was good because there were already a large number of guests. Red, green and gold drapes covered the ceilings and walls, giving an appropriately festive feel along with the twinkling fairies that were dancing in the lamps hanging from the ceiling.

Granger looked at him questioningly. "So, what's next in your grand suggestion of revenge? This isn't exactly my area of expertise, after all."

He began to guide her towards a table that was laden with goblets. "That's not what I've heard," Theo countered.

She looked at him curiously. "What do you mean?"

"Well, he'll jinx anyone who talks about it but everyone in our house knows that you slapped Draco in third year," Theo informed her.

A curious expression came over her face that was a mixture of defensiveness and amusement. "That was different," she explained. "Malfoy was making fun of one of my friends and, and…"

"You thought he needed to be taught a lesson?" Theo supplied.

"Yes – _no!_ " she corrected quickly at the victorious quirk of Theo's eyebrow. "That _wasn't_ revenge," she insisted.

He shrugged lightly and finally removed her hand from his elbow so that he could pick up a goblet for each of them. "If you say so," he replied smoothly, holding out her drink, which she accepted with a murmur of thanks. She raised it to her mouth to take a sip at the exact moment that Theo asked, "What about Marietta Edgecombe? Was that you?"

Her eyes widened in surprise and she promptly started choking on her drink. She coughed a few times, her face reddening again but he suspected this time it was partly due to her struggle for breath.

When she had herself back under control, she shook her head daintily and said, "I don't have the faintest idea what you're talking about."

"Liar," he teased, echoing her earlier accusation with a heavy smirk. She avoided saying anything by taking another sip of her mead and Theo had the grace to wait until after she'd lowered the goblet this time before he said, "And what about Umbridge?"

Granger looked at him shrewdly. "What about her?"

"You and Potter led her into the Forbidden Forest last summer and, by all accounts, she came out traumatised."

"You're very well informed," she said with a hint of suspicion. "Should I be concerned that you've been keeping such close tabs on me?"

"You forget that Umbridge's Inquisitorial Squad was comprised of Slytherins. Malfoy and the others were privy to a lot of inside information and they weren't careful about who they shared it with," he explained, easily swatting away her accusation.

"I see," she said, a slight frown on her face but then she fixed him with her chocolate orbs. "Well, whatever I _may_ or may not have done, I can assure you that protecting my friends would have been my sole motivating factor for my actions."

Theo simply gazed at her for a moment, marvelling at the passion with which she said those words. The fierce loyalty she showed for her friends was something he'd never encountered before and it practically shone from her. He wondered what it would feel like to have her passion on his side, to have her strength fighting for him, doing _anything_ for him… He ignored the rush of blood pulsing through his brain at the idea and quickly pushed those thoughts aside.

"Your dedication to your friends is admirable," he said instead, gently inclining his head towards her. "But I think that your _alleged_ actions show there's a darker side to you than you're willing to admit." Her mouth tightened defensively but he smirked and raised his goblet in her direction before taking a long, calculated drink. She held his gaze and he was sure that she fighting hard to stop herself from smiling a little.

"If a Slytherin is toasting me, I'm not sure I can take that as quite the compliment you're intending," she said and he _definitely_ heard the underlying amusement.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "We're not _all_ bad," he drawled. "We do have _some_ redeeming features."

She laughed and gave him an overtly scrutinising look. "If you don't mind, I'll reserve judgement until the end of the evening."

Theo opened his mouth to make a witty reply but the approaching Blaise caught his eye, a snooty-looking date on his arm. "I think that's only fair," Theo said, refocusing on Granger, "and in order to gain a verdict in my favour, I suggest we move away before my self-absorbed housemate taints your view of Slytherins beyond repair for the night."

She glanced over shoulder, saw Zabini and made a scathing noise. "Agreed," she said shortly, grabbing Theo's hand and pulling him in the opposite direction. However, they only got a few yards away when she stopped abruptly, almost recoiling, and he nearly crashed into her back.

"What is it?" he asked, peering around for the reason behind her sudden reaction.

Instead of answering, she simply turned towards him and tilted her head to look upwards. Theo followed her line of sight and saw a small green plant with white berries floating in the air above their head. He instinctively attempted to take a couple of steps backwards but found an invisible force keeping him in place.

"Ah," he said pointedly, returning his gaze back to hers, and seeing in her eyes the same comprehension that the bewitched mistletoe wasn't going to let them move on until they had kissed…

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A/N: Any thoughts?


	8. Chapter 8

A/N Hi guys! Thanks for your support of this story.

This was supposed to go up yesterday but the site wasn't letting me upload anything! Grr! So you get it today instead. I left you with a little cliffhanger last time so let's get on with it...

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If Theo had thought, a few hours earlier, that holding Hermione Granger's hand in the Great Hall was a significant moment, then that feeling was hugely magnified at the prospect of having to kiss her to regain his freedom.

Her chocolate eyes were wide as they gazed up at him, and he was in no doubt that the significance of their impending embrace wasn't lost on her, either.

Deciding that delaying the inevitable might just cause him to lose his nerve (or a piece of his sanity by over-analysing the situation), Theo ducked his head slightly and lifted his hand to rest against the back of her head so that her curls were tickling his fingers again. He paused for a brief moment to check that she wasn't completely horrified by his actions, before closing his eyes and softly pressing his lips against hers.

She gasped lightly against his mouth and then her hand gripped the front of his robes as she tentatively returned the kiss.

" _Hermione!_ " a voice hissed from somewhere to Theo's left and he snapped his eyes open as she quickly pulled away from him, dazedly raising a couple of fingers to her lips. _Her lips_. Theo was so distracted by the delicate gesture against the pink curves of her mouth which had been pressed tenderly against his own moments ago, that he temporarily forgot that someone had interrupted their embrace.

"Hermione," the voice hissed again and Theo turned his head to see Potter standing next to them with a distinctly uncomfortable air about him. Theo didn't bother trying to hide the look of disdain at the arrival of the _Chosen One_.

"What, Harry?" Granger answered, still sounding a little distracted. Theo noticed her quick glance upwards and he saw that the mischievous mistletoe had disappeared.

"I just…" Potter murmured, his face reddening, before he shot a glare at Theo.

"He doesn't think you should be kissing me," Theo supplied with an exaggerated air of condescension.

Granger let out an exasperated sigh but Potter shook his head. "It's not up to me," he began, looking even more flustered. "But…" he glanced between Theo and his friend, looking highly disapproving, and Granger's gaze hardened. Potter noticed and spluttered, "You can kiss whoever you like."

"That's so gracious of you," Granger said witheringly and Theo enjoyed the Slytherinesque tone to her voice. "And before you do yourself some sort of internal injury, Harry: Theo and I were trapped under some mistletoe. We're not as keen on public displays of affection as _some_ couples."

Potter looked mightily relieved but still distinctly awkward so Theo decided to make it worse. He reached for Granger's free hand and raised it upwards so he could brush his lips against the back of her fingers. "Indeed. Using tongues in public is in such poor taste." Granger's eyes darted over his face, perhaps sensing he was up to something, but she didn't seek to stop him. "I mean, if you simply _must_ show affection, it's best to keep it chaste and show a bit of class…"

When he kissed her this time, he told himself that it was purely to annoy Potter and that it wasn't simply because he wanted to feel her soft lips on his again. It lasted no more than a couple of seconds and, as he pulled back and found himself making a mental note of every detail of her face in that moment, he wondered what in Salazar's name had come over him.

He was saved from having to explore that thought as a dreamy voice declared, "There's something very romantic about star-crossed lovers, isn't there?" While Theo took in the rather eye-catching sight of Luna Lovegood in her spangled robes, he vaguely recalled Daphne mentioning that the strange girl was Potter's date for the evening. "It's such a shame that things always seem to end so tragically for them."

Potter sent Granger a knowing look at Lovegood's depressing prediction but she just laughed lightly. "Theo and I are hardly 'star-crossed lovers', Luna. We're just two people who enjoy each other's company."

"But you're attracted to each other too, aren't you?" Lovegood said to her. " _I_ enjoy spending time in your company but we don't kiss each other, do we?"

Theo snorted softly and Granger murmured, "Well, _no…_ "

A silver tray, laden with canapes, seemed to glide towards them and a small, victorious smile appeared on Potter's face at the sight of it. "Tell me, Nott," he began conversationally, "does your family own any house elves?"

Granger stiffened next to him but Theo didn't understand why. "Yes, two."

Potter nodded, looking pleased. "And do you pay them?"

Theo's brows drew together in confusion. "Why would I pay them?"

Potter sent a very smug look Granger's way before returning his gaze to Theo. "Did you even notice that they're carrying all the food trays at the party?"

Theo glanced at the silver tray that had borne vol-au-vents their way a few seconds ago and saw the spindly legs peeking out underneath it. "No, I can't say that I did. Why?"

Granger looked like she had swallowed a mouthful of lemon juice. "Don't bring up S.P.E.W. as though you've ever really cared about the cause," she snapped at Potter.

"What's 'spew'?" Theo asked.

Potter grinned as Granger closed her eyes and took what sounded like a patience-inducing breath.

"I'll tell you later," she murmured. "Harry's just trying to be _clever_ by pointing out the differences between us."

"Oh, is it a game?" Luna asked, eyes widening even further than usual, and before anyone could stop her she said, "There are lots of obvious differences, of course, like the way you look and your school houses, but it really is quite odd that you should find comfort in each other given your respective family backgrounds."

Potter looked at Theo distrustfully. " _Very_ odd," he agreed. "I'd _love_ to know how that conversation went. I mean, _surely_ you've talked about the way Nott laughs whenever Malfoy makes a joke about you being a muggleborn, haven't you?"

Luna's enthusiastic laughter took them all by surprise and the blonde witch looked at Potter as though he was stupid. " _Of course_ they've resolved their differences, Harry! Hermione would hardly spend time with and kiss someone who looks down on her, would she?"

Potter looked at Granger seriously. "I'd certainly like to think not."

"I need another drink," Granger said coldly and promptly walked away. Theo watched her with a strange, clammy feeling spreading across his body that he tried very hard to ignore.

"I think it's pretty damn obvious that I trust you as much as a blast-ended skrewt, Nott," Potter said, in what Theo presumed was meant to be a threatening tone and he was left to wonder again how in Merlin's name _this_ boy was supposed to be the one destined to take on the Dark Lord… "And if you hurt her – " Potter continued, but Theo had had enough.

" _Fuck off_ , Potter," he sneered and left to find his date. In the split-second it had taken him to throw a scornful look Potter's way, Theo had lost sight of her. He skirted past a small group of witches that he had a feeling were members of the Holyhead Harpies, pushed his way through a group of female students who were staring avidly at a tall, pale figure that was mostly likely the rumoured vampire, and came face to face with Zabini.

Blaise arched an arrogant eyebrow at him. "Misplaced your pet mudblood, have you?" he asked quietly, no doubt aware that such slurs would be disapproved of amongst many of Slughorn's guests.

"No," Theo replied coolly. "Hermione is waiting for me by the Christmas tree," he said, pleased that he was able to speak the truth, having finally located her. He took a couple of steps in her direction but Zabini's sudden grip on his arm halted his progress.

"Don't think I didn't see your disgusting little display back there," Blaise hissed lowly.

"I don't answer to you, Zabini," Theo said coldly, tugging his arm free with as much disdain as he could muster.

However, Blaise look far from remorseful. "When you go around kissing mudbloods, I think that maybe you _do_ , Nott" he whispered menacingly.

Theo gave him one last haughty look and then turned away, a soft curse of, " _Bloodtraitor_ ," following him as he crossed the room to Granger.

She smiled at him as he approached but the expression didn't seem particularly genuine.

"Sorry about that," she murmured as he took his place next to her. "I shouldn't have just walked off and left you with Harry and Luna."

"It's fine," Theo replied easily. "I can handle Potter." A small smirk sprung up on his face as he recalled the furious expression on Potter's face when he'd told him to fuck off.

"And Zabini?" she asked.

His smirk temporarily dropped away, unaware that she'd caught sight of the brief interaction. "Him too," he said reassuringly. "It's nothing to worry about."

She silently held his gaze with those soulful, chocolate orbs for a few seconds before glancing away and a frown settled on his face. The air between them was almost as stilted as it had been on the way down to the party. Potter's words had obviously greatly unsettled her and Theo attempted to think of something to say to recover the amiable atmosphere they'd shared a few minutes ago.

Some sort of reassurance that he wasn't a Pureblood supremacist would obviously be the sort of thing required, but he actively tried to steer away from thinking about his stance on blood status so he wasn't entirely sure what he would say to her that was genuine. It was cowardly, yes, but he was aware that in the coming months your opinions on that particular matter might get you killed one way or another and it was simply easier to be ignorant and not come to a grand conclusion at all.

"You could have just kissed me on the cheek, you know," she said quietly, interrupting his thoughts.

"I'm sorry?" he asked, not quite having heard her properly thanks to the noise in the room, her still facing away from him and his mind having been elsewhere.

She turned her head towards him but still avoided his eye. "To break the mistletoe spell we only needed to kiss on the cheek."

"Oh," Theo said shortly, feeling heat rush to his cheeks. "I apologise."

Her eyes darted up to his quickly. "You don't need to apologise… I didn't mind it," she admitted quietly.

A small wave of relief rippled through him but he raised an eyebrow and said dryly, "Such glowing praise for my amorous skills, Granger, thank you."

She flushed. "That's not… I mean, it was nice – good, even," she said falteringly. "I just thought you should know the easiest way to break the spell in case we get caught under some more."

"So, you _don't_ want me to kiss your lips should it happen again?" he questioned, his eyes involuntarily dropping to her mouth for a moment.

"Oh, well, I…" she said a little breathlessly. "I was merely pointing out that you don't have to."

Theo found that he quite enjoyed a flustered Hermione Granger and it seemed to be suitably diverting them both from their previous thoughts, so he said, "But what if I _want_ to?" Her mouth dropped open a little and he was sure her breath caught slightly in her throat. He closed the gap between them and said, "It certainly makes things more convincing in terms of our ruse, doesn't it?"

He reached out for her hand and twined his fingers through hers. She glanced up at him from under her eyelashes.

"You know, I never had you pegged for such a _flirt_ , Nott," she said, her mouth showing clear signs of amusement.

He shrugged. "Something about you seems to bring it out in me, Granger," he replied, altering his hold on her soft hand to raise it to his lips. However, before he could, he found himself roughly pushed out of the way by the advancing Filch. Granger grabbed onto his arm to stop him from falling over and when he straightened, he found himself pinned under the revolted gaze of the student Filch was dragging towards Slughorn: Draco...

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A/N Another little cliffie! You're welcome!

The mini Harry/Theo/Hermione/Luna interaction was fun to write so I hope you all liked it. Theo abruptly telling Harry to get stuffed is one of my favourite parts of the fic so far for some reason!

Don't forget to review if you're enjoying the fic.

Fingers crossed that the site will let me update when I want to from now on!


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Aah, guys, I'm so sorry that you've had such a wait! Thank you so much to all those showing love to this story - it means so much.

Just so you know, there's more borrowed dialogue from HBP in here.

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Hermione felt Nott's arm stiffen under her touch and she looked up at him to see what had made him so tense. Following his line of sight, she was just in time to see the disgusted expression on Malfoy's face before the blond boy received a sharp tug on the ear from Filch to bring him in front of Slughorn. For Hermione, the hateful look on Malfoy's face was nothing new however, in this instance, it hadn't been directed at her but at _Nott_.

"Professor Slughorn, I discovered this boy lurking in an upstairs corridor," Filch was saying to the Potions professor with a definite hint of glee at the prospect of unearthing some student wrongdoing. "He claims to have been invited to your party and to have been delayed in setting out. Did you issue him with an invitation?"

Malfoy wrenched himself free from the caretaker's hold and cast a quick sidelong look of displeasure towards Nott, before turning furious eyes on Filch. "All right, I wasn't invited," he snarled. "I was trying to gatecrash, happy?"

Filch looked wickedly pleased but he said, "No, I'm not! You're in trouble, you are! Didn't the Headmaster say that night-time prowling's out, unless you've got permission, didn't he, eh?"

"That's all right, Argus, that's all right," Slughorn dismissed, waving his hand. "It's Christmas, and it's not a crime to want to come to a party. Just this once, we'll forget any punishment; you may stay, Draco."

Filch looked heartily put-out and turned, muttering under his breath as he stormed away in such a temper that he barged right into Hermione and didn't even apologise. Malfoy, meanwhile, was sucking up to Slughorn and telling him how highly his grandfather had spoken about the potion-maker.

Hermione had been so focused on Malfoy that she didn't notice that Snape was close by until he stepped forwards with a stern expression on his face.

"I'd like a word with you, Draco," he said.

"Oh, now, Severus, it's Christmas," Slughorn objected with a hiccup, "don't be too hard – "

"I'm his Head of House, and I shall decide how hard, or otherwise, to be," said Snape tersely. "Follow me, Draco."

Something had kept Hermione and Nott rooted to the spot since Malfoy's arrival but, when she saw Snape headed in their direction, Malfoy close behind, she wished they hadn't lingered. The DADA professor didn't seem to even notice them but Malfoy's previously impassive expression darkened considerably. Hermione stood her ground but Nott took an involuntary step back.

Malfoy took a couple of paces towards them so that he was close enough to hiss at Theo without being overheard, "I don't know how you can stomach standing so close to such filth, let alone having it _touch_ you." He sneered down at their joined hands.

Hermione had half a mind to use some of her recently-mastered crude language on the abhorrent boy, but she was glad she held her tongue when Snape reappeared a moment later, peering suspiciously down his hooked nose at them all. "Don't delay, Draco," he said curtly, but he didn't take his eyes off how closely Hermione and Nott were standing to each other. His gaze also darted down to their hands and his eyes narrowed considerably. "Well, isn't this touching," he said with soft scorn, making Hermione's cheeks burn with embarrassment. Snape put a hand on Malfoy's shoulder to guide him out, but he shrugged it off irritably and stalked away with Snape following close behind.

Hermione let out a low breath in relief. "Well," she murmured, turning to Nott, "that was…" She struggled to find the right word but Nott seemed to understand her.

"Yes," he nodded, frowning slightly, "Quite…"

She watched him carefully but, apart from the marginally turned down corners of his mouth, he seemed intent on maintaining an unemotional façade. "We should have let go of our hands," she said ruefully.

"No, we shouldn't have," Nott replied simply.

"I wouldn't have been offended," she said.

An expression that she couldn't identify flickered across his face for a moment, before the cool look returned. "Potter was watching the exchange," he explained. "I know he's looking for any excuse to point out my failings in regards to you; he wouldn't have expected me to stand by you in front of Malfoy and Snape."

"Oh, yes, that was a good idea," she said quietly, annoyed with herself for thinking, for even the briefest moment, that he had held onto her hand so as not to hurt her feelings. She needed to get a grip on herself. "What, er," she stammered, thinking quickly of something to say, "what will you say to Malfoy?"

"That I'm just using you to get information on Potter," he said without hesitation, causing Hermione to look at him with quiet alarm. At the worry in her eyes, he sent her a very flat, almost disappointed look. "Have I, at any point, shown the _slightest_ bit of interest in the _Chosen One_?" he asked haughtily.

Despite the disquiet that had been caused by Nott's previous sentence, Hermione almost snorted with amusement at those words. "You've wanted as little to do with him as possible," she said honestly.

"Exactly – can you blame me? _Prat_ ," he muttered under his breath and Hermione rolled her eyes, content to accept that Nott wasn't really intending on using her to spy on Harry or the light. However, it was quite clear that their run-in with Malfoy had dampened Nott's spirits so she suggested they take a turn of the room to see what so-called celebrities they could spot.

This proved to be suitably distracting for them both and they spent a couple of enjoyable minutes quietly comparing the vampire's likeness to Snape.

"Shit, we've said his name too much and accidentally summoned him," Nott murmured, watching distastefully as his Head of House re-entered the party alone. Hermione chuckled behind her hand and then gasped softly.

"We've summoned them both," she said as she saw the tall figure of the vampire move in their direction. The two of them watched his approach warily and then the small-statured Professor Slughorn appeared, beckoning to a wizard a couple of paces behind him who was the one that was steering the vampire in their direction.

"Ah, Miss Granger, there you are," Slughorn said jovially, his cheeks even redder than they had been a few minutes ago.

"You've been looking for me, sir?" she asked, unable to downplay much of the surprise in her tone of voice.

"Eldred," Slughorn said over his shoulder to the small, bespectacled wizard towing the vampire, "this is the young lady I was telling you about."

Hermione felt her mouth drop open a little and the heat rushed to her face as Slughorn's guest peered at her curiously. She couldn't believe that the professor had been mentioning her to his acquaintances!

"Miss Granger, I'd like you to meet Eldred Worple, an old student of mine," Slughorn said and Worple held out a hand that she obligingly shook. Her eyes slid automatically to the gaunt vampire that towered over them all and Slughorn quickly said, "And this is Sanguini."

"Er, hello," Hermione said uncertainly. Sanguini just stared back intently at herself and Nott. She suddenly noticed that his eye level was focused on their necks, making her stomach quiver.

"Professor Slughorn tells me that you are Harry Potter's best friend," Worple informed her, drawing her attention back to him. "I'm most eager to write a book about him, you know; the wizarding world is dying to know more about Harry Potter."

"Oh," Hermione said faintly as she realised that it was merely her connection to Harry that had brought the men over to her and not _her_ , personally. She felt like a fool, again, but tried not to let her shame show.

"Yes, Eldred broached the idea with Harry earlier but, like the modest young man we all know him to be, he shied away from the prospect of sitting down for an interview or two," Slughorn said, apparently oblivious to Nott's quiet scoff, Hermione's disappointment and Harry's dislike of all publicity. "But I reassured Eldred that he could turn to you," he continued. "After all, you helped sort out Harry's commitments to get him here tonight, didn't you?"

Hermione tried not to wince at the way Slughorn insinuated that she was a sort of private secretary for Harry, but she wasn't convinced that her attempt at a smile looked like anything other than a grimace. "I'll see what I can do," she said with a noticeable lack of enthusiasm and then felt it necessary to add, "but Harry _really_ doesn't enjoy being the centre of attention."

Slughorn waved his hand dismissively, as though this was just further evidence of Harry's humility, but Worple looked at her with a calculating look on his face. "You know, it would be helpful to have interviews with some of his closest acquaintances to get a proper grasp of his character and add in any details that he might have missed about himself."

"Oh, I don't think – " Hermione began but Slughorn cut across her loudly.

"Yes, what a marvellous idea," he boomed. "Not a lot gets past you, does it, eh, Miss Granger?" He turned to Worple and said, "One of the very top students in her year and a muggleborn to boot!" Slughorn turned back to Hermione and winked at her. "You'll do a top job, no doubt there."

Worple's eyes slid over to Nott for the first time and the author looked politely inquisitive, obviously hoping that this was another student he could interview about Harry.

"Ah," Slughorn began delicately but Nott stuck out his hand.

"Theodore Nott," he declared as Worple shook his hand, and the author's eyebrows rose comically high.

"Nott?" he repeated slowly. "As in…?" he trailed off, apparently not wanting to make a link to a convicted Death Eater at a festive gathering.

"Yes," Nott confirmed with his typical haughty air and Worple dropped his hand quickly. "But also _not_ a friend of Potter's."

Slughorn laughed but he was the only one who did so. "Mr Nott is from my grand, old former house," he explained to Worple. "You remember the old rivalry between Slytherins and Gryffindors, Eldred?"

"Yes," Worple murmured, suddenly looking like he wanted nothing more than to leave their presence. His wary expression changed to one of slight confusion when he turned his eyes to Hermione. "Well, I'm sure I'll be in touch, Miss Granger," he said with a civility that was less warm than it had been a moment ago. He nodded stiffly at Nott, muttered a quick, "Have a good evening," and pulled Sanguini back into the crowd, Slughorn departing for a top-up of his drink.

"Well, that was a depressing encounter all round," Nott muttered. "What a twat."

Hermione tried to think of something to say that wouldn't sound patronising. She was used to people in the magical world becoming awed by the surname of Potter, or treating her differently because she didn't have a pureblooded surname, but she had never considered what things had been like for Nott since the arrest of his father at the Department of Mysteries. If, somehow, war could be avoided, Theo was still always going to be tainted by the actions of his father because of their shared name. He wasn't alone, of course; Draco Malfoy seemed to wear his family name like a badge of honour and revelled in his association with the Dark Arts. But as far as Hermione knew, Theo hadn't done anything to deserve being linked with the stigma of Voldemort (though she couldn't swear that he _wasn't_ a secret supporter of his cause). The world wasn't a fair place – she'd had to accept that very quickly when she'd experienced discrimination because of her birth – but she never expected to feel an affinity with Theo Nott over being condemned because of your family name.

"He's just being a judgemental prat," Hermione said simply. "He doesn't know who you are."

Theo fixed an intense gaze on her for a few moments. "Is that what you tell yourself when someone treats _you_ differently?"

"Yes," she said honestly, holding his gaze. "And when it comes to responding to those people, I let my schoolwork and magic do the talking for me."

Theo let out a breath of laughter and then nodded slowly. "Good strategy," he said appreciatively, though she sensed there was still an inner sadness that he was trying to mask. All of a sudden, she got the strange impression that Theo didn't know who he was. There was no doubting that he was a Slytherin, but there seemed to be much more to him than that: she'd had enough experiences with members of that house to know that they took blood purity very seriously and, therefore, a vast majority thought that she was filthy scum. The very fact that Theo was willing to be near her, hold her hand and even _kiss_ her proved that he didn't really hold to those beliefs. He might claim that it was a part of the act to fool Ron and Harry but she knew that none of the other Slytherins would do any of those things with a muggleborn, no matter how much they wanted to hurt someone else. She thought back to what Harry had said about Theo laughing at jokes about her heritage. It wasn't a nice feeling to know that he'd done that, but she knew that there were certain expectations of behaviour from his house – he'd certainly have looked out of place if he _hadn't_ laughed.

Theo had offered her no verbal reassurance that he didn't find her parentage repulsive. This could be because he would view such an opinion as rather dangerous right now with the worrying rise of Voldemort. But Hermione just had a strong feeling that Theo was either unwilling to admit what his true stance was on blood purity, or he wasn't even aware of it…

"Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"Like what?"

"I don't know," he admitted with a frown.

Hermione nudged him with her shoulder, suddenly feeling a lot happier. "Come on, let's go find something sweet to eat; I'm strangely peckish."

* * *

A/N No cliffhanger this time and not even any real fluff either. How rude of me! You _have_ had the longest chapter to date but that's nothing to get excited about because they're all short chapters really!

We'll be back to Theo's PoV next and I think we'll actually get to the end of the party. I don't think I've ever written so much for just one day before.

Anyway, sorry again for making you wait so long. Hopefully it won't happen again.

Review if you liked it - or you're mad at me for giving you such a wait!

Red


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Hi everyone! Thanks for your support.

* * *

"You didn't have to walk me all the way back," Granger said to him as they ascended the stairs that would take them towards Gryffindor Tower.

"If a job's worth doing, it's worth doing properly," Theo replied evenly. For appearances sake, it made sense to be seen doing the gentlemanly thing in walking his date back to her Common Room, but Potter had disappeared from Slughorn's party roughly an hour ago so Theo doubted the pesky Gryffindor was lying in wait to rumble their false partnership like he'd been intent on doing earlier. So, the real reason that Theo was walking towards the very top of the castle was because he wanted to: he was not overly keen on parting ways with Granger just yet – a notion that would have been utterly incomprehensible to him a few hours earlier. It was almost a shame that their entertaining little spectacle was about to end, but it was probably for the best because a continued partnership with Granger would undoubtedly bring him no end of grief. He suspected a modicum of that displeasure was already awaiting his return in the Slytherin dungeons (another reason why he wasn't in a hurry to call it a night).

Granger sighed. "I'm glad the holidays start tomorrow," she said conversationally, sounding a little tired.

"You are?" he replied with light surprise. "I thought your utter devotion to school would make a pause in lessons nothing short of a tragedy," he teased. She rolled her eyes at him but she was still smiling.

"Even _I_ need a break every now and then," she said easily, "and this hasn't been the easiest term." Theo noted that her tone wasn't angry or self-pitying even though he was pretty sure that she was thinking of that red-haired moron. He tried to tell himself that her emotional state didn't interest him but there was definitely a small (and bizarre) sense of satisfaction that he had helped her overcome her hang-up. "I'm looking forwards to recharging my batteries in a different environment for a few days," she continued, "and I _do_ love Christmas."

Theo looked at her curiously. "Recharging your batteries?" he repeated.

Granger glanced up at him and then comprehension dawned in her eyes. "Oh, it's a muggle expression," she explained. "It means to rest and recuperate; get your energy back."

"I see," he answered. "I imagine I'll be doing much the same – once I work through all the homework I've been given."

Granger sent him a look of understanding. "They've certainly piled it on, haven't they?" she agreed. "I only hope I've taken enough notes from the library books to inform my work."

"That's not a problem for me," Theo answered, without really thinking about it.

Her eyes searched his face. "You're staying at Hogwarts for the holidays?" she asked tentatively. "You're not going to spend Christmas with your mother?"

"No," he said shortly. They had stumbled onto a topic that Theo wasn't particularly comfortable discussing. He could tell by the look on Granger's face that she wanted to know more but she was restraining herself. An unexpected pull from his gut made him say, "My mother died when I was five."

Granger was so taken aback that she actually stopped moving. Theo turned back guardedly, not wanting to see the pity in her eyes. "Theo, I'm so sorry – I didn't know," she said softly. "How awful."

He kept his mouth firmly closed and his gaze away from hers but he nodded stiffly. It wasn't often that he acknowledged the childhood tragedy because it was far easy to push it away and pretend it had never happened. Heat swept through his body, swiftly followed by a chilling coolness that left him a little nauseated and lightheaded.

Granger's hand was suddenly on his, squeezing his fingers comfortingly whilst she placed her other hand supportively on his upper arm.

"Thanks," he muttered.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked uncertainly.

"No," he said firmly. "It's fine. It happened a long time ago and I don't think about it very often," he said truthfully.

"OK," she said gently, her voice full of compassion. Normally, he'd scoff at such a display of soft-heartedness but when it was directed at him, he found he couldn't be quite so dismissive. It felt _nice_ to have someone care about your well-being and he didn't doubt that Granger wasn't being genuine in her attentions. He found her very easy to read and, despite the fact that their quasi-relationship was merely a few hours old and destined to expire within minutes, he could feel her kindness sweeping through him like a fever.

"You… you're not on your own though, are you, Theo?" she asked him. "You do have other family to look out for you?"

Instead of answering her question, he resumed their walk towards Gryffindor Tower.

" _Theo_ ," she pressed, pulling on his hand slightly. "I know how interconnected the Pureblood families are."

"Well, none of them are particularly keen to acknowledge their relationship to me after…" he trailed off and then shrugged. "I don't hold it against them – I can assure you that I'd be doing the same if it had happened to someone else." Though Granger might not like it, this was true. No wizarding family wanted to be associated with the son of a convicted Death Eater in these uncertain times – even ones like the Malfoys, whose name had already been besmirched by the incident at the Department of Mysteries, would not want to take him in (and Theo doubted that the Ministry would have approved that anyway). Granger looked appalled by this abandonment but Theo genuinely wasn't upset or angry with the Slytherin trait of looking after yourself before others.

"But what happened to you over summer?" she asked, wide-eyed.

"If it had been up to me I would've just stayed at home on my own," he replied calmly, "But I wasn't of age – I won't be until May. The Ministry placed me in the home of an older married couple. It was a rather dull few months and I just kept to myself and waited for school to resume."

Granger was quiet next to him and he wondered what she was thinking.

"I never even thought about what would happen to you," she admitted, sounding guilty, "About how that night would impact on you."

"Why would you?" he countered, genuinely puzzled by her remorse. "It's not like you knew about my family situation and, even if you had, what would you have done about it?"

She shook her head. "Nothing, I suppose," she admitted.

"Exactly," he agreed. "Don't feel sorry for me – my boring summer hasn't exactly done me any harm and this year I'll be able to do as I please."

"And what will that involve?" she asked.

"I haven't got the faintest idea," he replied honestly and she smiled.

They turned the corner and the Fat Lady's Portrait loomed at the end of the corridor. Theo hesitated for a moment and Granger glanced at him before pulling him backwards and into an empty room. They were only able to see anything thanks to the moonlight that seeped through the windows and, even then, the visibility was quite poor. Theo raised an inquisitive eyebrow at her and she shrugged, a little blush covering her cheeks.

"I thought that it was probably better to part ways without anyone around to overhear – the Fat Lady's an awful gossip," she explained.

"I see," he replied, "And here I thought you'd dragged me in here to have your way with me."

He enjoyed the way her mouth dropped open a little and the blush became more pronounced. "You sound disappointed," she accused, her eyes dropping very briefly to his mouth.

"That's because I am," he revealed, before leaning forwards to press his lips against hers. The events of the day had left him disconcerted and uncertain about a lot of things, but one thing he was sure of was that he enjoyed kissing Hermione Granger, and he intended to do it as much as he could before they went their separate ways.

Granger was kissing him back but her hands moved up so that they rested on his chest and she pushed him ever so slightly away from her. She was breathing quickly and gazed up at him questioningly.

Blood was pulsing through his body but he forced himself to remain cool as he claimed, "There was some more mistletoe."

She let out a short breath of laughter. "Liar," she accused but there was no heat behind her words and she immediately closed the distance between them, kissing him eagerly.

Theo tried to think as little as possible and just let himself enjoy the sensations she evoked in him with her hands and mouth. One of his own hands had worked its way into her fascinating hair and the other was stroking slowly up and down her side. She giggled against his lips as his fingers traced over what must be a particularly sensitive part of her skin and she grabbed the offending hand and moved it so that it was on her back, forcing her to step more closely into him, which was both wonderful and a little disconcerting at the same time, but he certainly didn't want to stop. With her head turned so that she could move his hand, Theo kissed his way along her jaw and down her neck, making her gasp and tremble against him.

"Theo," she sighed breathlessly, her chest rising and falling rapidly beneath him. A thrill went through him at the effect he was having on her and he lifted his head to capture her lips once more, savouring every moment.

She pulled away and he regretfully let her go, but then she changed her mind and kissed him again. This happened twice more before she took a decisive couple of steps away from him so that there were a foot or two between their breathless bodies. His eyes roved over her frame, noting how tangled her hair had become, how dilated her pupils were and how glorious her lips looked. She looked fucking gorgeous and he had never been so turned on in his life.

She laughed a little and ran a hand through her ragged hair. "Wow, that was," she began and then struggled to find words and simply repeated, "Wow."

Theo chuckled, even as the pleasure that had been sweeping through his body began to ebb at the realisation that things were drawing to a close. He wanted to reach out and kiss her again but he knew that their partnership had, unfortunately, reached its natural end and he started to rebuild his internal defences. "I guess I'd better head back to the dungeons," he said, pleased that his voice sounded steady, "That extended curfew is going to run out soon."

She nodded, still looking very flustered. "Yes. Good idea." She had been avoiding his eyes since they'd parted but she met them boldly now. "Theo, I can't thank you enough for tonight. You have no idea how much this has helped me – I don't even feel like the same person that you ran into behind the tapestry."

"Good," he stated emphatically, "I like this version of you much better."

She smiled at him almost shyly. "Thanks. Don't forget that I still owe you something in return."

"Do you honestly think that a Slytherin would fail to recall a little detail like that?" he posed, though in truth it hadn't crossed his mind in quite some time.

"I guess not," she replied and then held out her hand. "Well, it was a pleasure doing business with you, Theo."

"A pleasure indeed, Hermione," he agreed, shaking her hand.

They stared at each other for a few moments, hands still clasped together. She rose quickly and planted a kiss at the corner of his mouth and then she was gone. Theo told himself that it was for the best but as he made his way back down the castle, he couldn't shake the feeling that he'd let something significant slip through his fingers…

* * *

A/N: And, if I listened to my head and not my heart, that would be the end!

Lucky for you guys, I listened to my heart and this is not even CLOSE to the end. Once I started down this road with these characters, I could see there was so much more story to tell.

I hope you all approved of the fluff/kissing!

Don't forget to drop me a review if you're happy that we're carrying on!

Red

P.S What do you guys think happened to Theo during that summer? I'd never really thought about it until writing his character. Would Snape/Dumbledore have intervened to make sure he was well looked after? Would the Ministry approve of one of the other Slytherin families taking him in? I think JK Rowling mentioned that Nott Sr was an elderly widower so that makes it canon that Theo's mother died, right?


	11. Chapter 11

A/N Hi everyone! I am SO pleased to finally have an update for you. For some reason my motivation for writing any of my stories disappeared for a few months. Thank you to all those who dropped me a review to encourage me to continue - it really does help. Special shout-out to Juicyfruity143 for undertaking a one-person mission to get me to update through all their sweet reviews.

* * *

Despite it being the first day of the Christmas holidays, Theo rose at his usual time the next morning. A not-insignificant part of him had seriously considered staying in bed long enough to miss breakfast, but he realised that course of action could imply that he had something to hide and that was entirely unacceptable. The events of the previous evening had now run their course and it was best to just move on like nothing had happened. That was certainly the message he had told himself but his subconscious hadn't quite received the message because not only had his dreams been plagued by a certain curly-haired witch, she had also been the first thought to enter his head when he'd woken. He dismissed it as just the short-term consequence of a rather atypical, intense evening and convinced himself that he would soon be back to his normal self.

The other sixth-year Slytherins were still asleep when Theo slipped out of the dormitory but that had been the case pretty much every morning since their first morning together well over five years previously, and he was adept at keeping his movements quiet enough to avoid waking them. And, of course, that morning he wasn't adverse to avoiding the likes of Blaise to prevent any more comment about his decision to attend Slughorn's party with Granger. However, when he emerged into the Common Room and his arm was promptly seized rather forcefully by Daphne, he realised he wouldn't be able to avoid the topic after all.

"Ow, careful with this arm, Daph - I need it in perfect working order so that I can complete all my holiday homework to my usual impeccable standard," he complained mildly.

"Oh, hush your whining, Theo," she responded, not showing the slightest sympathy, "Now, tell me _everything_. There were so few Slytherins in attendance last night that I've hardly got an idea about what went on at all," she complained as she steered him across the room so they could go to the Great Hall for breakfast. "I _was_ going to stay up and wait for your return but Draco turned up in a particularly foul mood and there was a sudden, unspoken house-wide agreement that we should all go to bed. That didn't have anything to do with you, did it?" she asked, peering at him with equal parts concern and inquisitiveness.

"What makes you think that?" he enquired casually.

Daphne shrugged. "Admittedly, Draco never seems to be in a good mood at the moment but he did seem more disagreeable than normal. He also cast a very dark look in my direction and seemed to be on the verge of coming over to speak to me so I hastily retreated to my dormitory. I can think of nothing I've done to upset him so I can only conclude that my known association with you was the reason for him to look pissed off with me."

Theo sighed. "Sorry, Daph. I had no idea that without me there he'd direct his anger at you."

"So it _was_ you that had put him in such a bad mood."

"I don't think I can take all the credit," Theo said wryly. "I doubt that being caught creeping around by Filch and dragged into the party by his ear filled him with joy either."

Daphne's eyes widened and then her gaze roamed over his body, her hands following afterwards patting and poking him all over. Theo took a few quick steps away from her. "What in Salazar's name are you doing?" he asked in alarm.

"Did he hurt you? You can tell me Theo, I can help you - I've gotten much better at healing spells lately," she claimed.

Her hands looked like they were going to dart forward and check him for wounds again so he quickly grabbed her wrists to prevent her from doing so. "That won't be necessary, Daph, but thank you for the offer."

He released her arms and she twisted her hands towards him in an exaggerated gesture to ask for more information. "Well, what happened then? Was Draco still there when you got back?"

Theo frowned as he recalled his entrance into the Slytherin Common Room the previous evening. "Yes."

 _It was darker in the Common Room than Theo had anticipated and a lot quieter, too, considering that it was the start of the Christmas holidays. These were only dull observations on the very edge of his consciousness because his thoughts were still in an empty classroom along from the Fat Lady's portrait and it was due to this distraction that he didn't notice Draco was bearing down on him before it was too late to do anything about it. The blond boy grabbed the front of Theo's clothes and forced him backwards into the wall._

" _Uh," Theo grunted as some of the air was knocked out of his lungs. "This is going a bit far, isn't it, Draco?" he said, trying to remain calm._

" _Oh, you think so, do you?" Draco sneered. He released his grip but thrust his wand at Theo's neck instead, the tip less than an inch from digging into his throat. "Is that any better?"_

 _Theo said nothing but trusted that his dark look conveyed his answer effectively._

" _What the fuck is going on, Nott?" Draco snarled, "Because from what I saw, you're a filthy blood-traitor and a disgrace to this house and your name."_

 _There was not a single witch or wizard that felt comfortable when someone levelled a wand at them but Theo had to fight very hard not to swat Draco's arm away because he knew that would only make the blond boy angrier and lash out. If he didn't want to make his remaining time in Hogwarts a hellish experience then he had to get Draco onside by whatever means possible._

" _An opportunity came up and I took advantage of it," Theo explained calmly, hoping to appeal to the ambitious trait in Draco that all Slytherins famously possessed._

" _Explain," Draco demanded, still looking furious and disgusted._

" _Granger suggested that we attend Slughorn's party together and, though I wasn't best pleased with the notion, I saw it as a chance to find out more information about her and Potter," he replied semi-truthfully._

 _Draco's eyes narrowed. "You'd stoop to touching a mudblood?" he sneered, clearly revolted. Theo nearly laughed at how the truth of his experience with Granger had been anything but revolting and concentrated on showing Draco what he expected to see._

" _If the girl was stupid enough to offer herself up like that then I was prepared to ingratiate myself to her to gain her trust - what would have been the point in agreeing to accompany her if I made it clear that I detested everything she stood for?" Theo pointed out, his stomach twisting at the words that left his mouth. "Are you saying there are things that you wouldn't be prepared to do to help the Dark Lord's cause?"_

 _For the first time, Draco's arm faltered - in fact, his whole body seemed to shudder. "Of course not… If you only knew," he muttered but then his resolve hardened and he glared at Theo. "Don't talk about things you don't understand, Theo."_

" _Look, she asked me and I thought that having an in with Granger would come in handy one day - for all of us - so I played my part and got myself seen by the right people. That's all there is to it. Come on, Draco, we've known each other all our lives: do you honestly think I'd just abandon everything we've ever known; everything we've ever believed in?" Theo asked, a shameful hint of pleading in his tone._

 _Draco didn't move but simply continued to stare balefully at him. "Why?"_

 _Theo frowned. "Why what?"_

" _Why did she ask you?"_

" _You'd have to ask her," Theo replied, his tone of voice suggesting that he didn't know the answer when in reality he had to mentally push aside the memory of Granger sitting opposite him and delicately saying,_ 'My reasons are four-fold.'

" _And dId you find out anything that could be of use whilst you were debasing yourself?" Draco asked sneeringly._

 _Theo frowned. He didn't want it to appear that the evening had been a waste of time but nor had he found out anything significant. And, even if he had, would he have actually shared it with Draco? "I hadn't anticipated learning anything important tonight - she's made some questionable decisions but I think we both know she's not stupid enough to divulge anything like that to a Slytherin yet."_

" _Yet? You'll continue seeing her?" Draco asked, looking surprised that Nott was willing to do such a thing._

" _No," Theo said shortly. "She didn't much like the way that others looked at her when we stepped out together - Blaise was particularly blatant in his disgust."_

 _Draco scoffed and lowered his wand, much to Theo's relief. "Can you blame him?"_

" _It was worth a shot," Theo insisted. "You know those Gryffindors are entirely too trusting." Draco made a disparaging noise and tucked his wand inside his robes. "I would have told you what I was doing but I didn't see you before the party started."_

" _I was busy," Draco said stiffly._

" _It's none of my business what you were doing," Theo said quickly, not wanting to anger Draco again._

" _You're right, it's not," Draco muttered and promptly stalked off towards their dormitory._

Daphne stared at the floor for a while as she absorbed what Theo had told her and he didn't like that she looked troubled. "What is it?" he asked.

She looked up. "You left out quite a lot."

"What do you mean?"

Daphne glanced around and then pulled him down a little-used corridor so they wouldn't be overheard. "Why didn't you tell Draco about making Weasley jealous or that Granger owes you a favour now? Why didn't you admit that it was only ever going to be one date from the start?"

"Because I doubt that he would have accepted everything so calmly had I told him that," Theo explained. "He's so irritable lately; I went with the version of the truth that would have been the most agreeable to him. Besides, he's always been too caught up in what Potter and his friends are up to and he's never come off better for it, has he?"

Daphne still looked uncertain. "Theo," she began but he cut her off.

"Stop worrying, Daph; it's over, remember? Everything's fine," he insisted.

She held her concerned expression for a couple more seconds and then her features softened. "OK," she sighed, looping her arm through his and resuming their journey to the Great Hall. "Now, tell me about the party - did Granger like the flowers? What was everyone wearing? Was there really a vampire?"

Theo duly started to relate the events of the evening to her but he saw no reason to tell her the finer details of what he and Granger had spoken about. Daphne was smug when he told her how much Granger had liked the flowers, scathing about Ron's possessive appearance outside the Gryffindor common room, fascinated by Sanguini and more than a little shocked when Theo mentioned that he and Granger had been caught under some enchanted mistletoe.

"What did you do?" Daphne gasped with wide eyes as she attempted to recover from missing a step up the staircase in her astonishment at Theo's admission.

"I kissed her, of course," he replied, somewhat amused by Daphne's reaction.

" _Theo!_ " Daphne looked positively scandalised.

"What else was I supposed to do?" he pointed out. "I'd still be up there now if I hadn't kissed her."

"But," Daphne spluttered, "but did anyone _see_ you?"

"Potter certainly had something to say about it," Theo revealed, recalling his irritating conversation with the boy-who-lived, "as did Blaise."

Daphne let out a soft moan. " _Theo_."

"Oh, stop it, Daph - if it was anyone but me you would be loving the scandal of it all and going giddy with the gossip you could spread," he pointed out. "I don't care what anyone else thinks and, do you know what, I actually _enjoyed_ kissing her."

This revelation actually caused Daphne to stop in her tracks halfway across the Entrance Hall with her mouth open. Theo paused to wait for her but when she showed no sign of moving he walked back and put his hands on her shoulders. "Breathe, Daph, before you pass out. The world hasn't ended, has it?"

She shrugged off his hands and sent him a soft glare. "You, Theodore Nott, are asking for trouble," she stated, jabbing a finger in his chest. "So don't come crying to me if your actions come back to haunt you."

"Thanks," Theo said sarcastically. "Your unwavering friendship means so much to me."

Daphne rolled her eyes. "Move out of my way - I'm hungry." She shoved him lightly and strode into the Great Hall, Theo following in her wake.

* * *

Christmas Day wasn't a particularly joyous one for Theo. He'd only stayed at the castle once before over the holidays but that had been during his Fourth Year amid the Triwizard Tournament. The contrast to the bustling excitement as the students had counted down to the Yule Ball contrasted dramatically with the gloomy, deserted corridors this year. There were only a half-dozen other students in the castle and the atmosphere was far from cheerful with the prospect of full-out war on the horizon.

Theo had kept to himself each day of the holidays: rising early, eating quickly and spending his time either in the library or within the Slytherin Dungeon where he was the only student still present. A lot of people would have found the solitariness insufferable but as an only child Theo had always coped well in his own company. That being said, there was certainly a lack of festive cheer in his heart when he woke to a dark and empty dormitory and he knew he would barely speak to another soul all day.

There was a present from Daphne at the foot of his bed and a number of greetings cards from his relatives that meant they were doing their duty by acknowledging their familial connection to him even if they wanted nothing to do with the Notts at present. There was also, much to Theo's astonishment, something from Hermione. She'd sent him a Christmas card which had a festive-themed arithmancy pun on the front and she'd also enclosed a letter asking him about his holidays and telling him a little of her own. It took him a few moments to get over his surprise that she'd written to him and then he felt _angry_.

What the fuck was she playing at? They weren't _friends_. It had been a one-off agreement and then they were going to go their own ways. He hadn't agreed to a correspondence or lasting acquaintanceship and nor did he want one with a troublesome, muggleborn Gryffindor - not when it had taken him a couple of days to stop himself thinking about her and their heated embraces on the Seventh Floor.

Theo had thrown her letter across the dormitory in annoyance and spent most of the morning in a bad mood because of it.

Christmas lunch was a gloomy affair despite the Headmaster's attempts to lighten the mood as they all sat around a large table together. The other members of staff were perfectly polite and civil to Theo but it was clear that they had other things on their minds. The other students were terrified of Theo because he was the son of a convicted Death Eater but he doubted that his dark mood helped matters, not that he cared much.

The remainder of his afternoon was restless as he unsuccessfully tried to find something that would occupy his attention long enough to stop him thinking about the letter on his dormitory floor and the girl who'd written it. Did she honestly expect him to respond? He hoped not.

After a light supper of turkey sandwiches and Christmas cake, he retreated to the superior warmth of his dormitory. His eyes raked over the parchment on the floor but he determinedly ignored it and settled on his bed to read one of the books from his bedside table. He automatically picked the one on the top of the pile but when he saw that it was the book on magical signatures that Granger had recommended, he put it back with a slight groan.

At the end of his wits, he got to his feet and picked up Hermione's letter. He read it through again and, now that he was merely exasperated and not angry, he received its contents in a much more positive manner, even smiling at a couple of things she'd written.

With a sigh of defeat, he grabbed some writing supplies and knelt to lean on the lid of his trunk to compose a reply. He only restarted his response twice until he'd produced something he was mildly satisfied with and before he lost his nerve his summoned a house elf and instructed it to send the note to Hermione Granger by owl.

As the elf disappeared with a crack, a slither of doubt crept into his stomach but he tried to dismiss it: what harm could come from sending a letter?

* * *

A/N Thoughts?


	12. Chapter 12

A/N Hi guys! Thanks for continuing to support this story. There's more borrowed dialogue from HBP in this chapter.

* * *

Hermione may have spent the last two weeks with her parents but she felt a strong sense of homecoming as she walked through the castle once more. Guilt pecked at her conscience for that admission but the muggle world always felt a bit stifling and disconnected from who she really was. Her parents knew it, too, which only increased Hermione's guilt but they were prepared to put Hermione's happiness before their own and made no fuss when she usually chose to spend her holidays at Hogwarts or with the Weasleys.

Hermione had always planned on spending the Christmas holidays with her parents this year after pulling out of their skiing holiday last time, but there was no way that she would have spent the festive break at The Burrow after everything that had happened between herself and Ron last term. She was honestly dreading seeing him and Lavender snogging all over the castle again and that unease actually dampened her pleasure at being back at her beloved Hogwarts. Damn Ron and his insensitivity. She didn't mind that he was going out with Lavender anymore - she really didn't, which was a big step for her - but she still didn't want to see them glued to each others' faces when she was trying to eat, read, work or simply _exist_ anywhere remotely close to them. She just hoped that Ron wasn't still upset about her going to Slughorn's party with Theo because if he was then he wasn't likely to let her forget it.

Theo…

Hermione failed to prevent a small smile settling on her lips at the thought of the Slytherin.

As much as she wasn't looking forward to seeing Ron, she couldn't deny that the opposite was true when it came to Theo. She'd fully intended to have next to nothing to do with him after the night of Slughorn's party but even though she tried to push him out of her mind afterwards, an impression of him persistently remained. Matters weren't helped much by Ginny's insistence on hearing all the details on the train journey back to London (though Hermione certainly kept a few specific moments to herself). Her warm welcome from her family made her think about Theo all alone at Hogwarts and he even managed to interrupt her thoughts when she was doing her homework, which was usually when she was at her most focused. That wasn't supposed to be happening. She and Theo had attended the party together and then they were going to go back to the people they were before.

The problem was that she _wasn't_ the same person as she was before: she wasn't hung up on Ron anymore and nor did she ever want to be. But, more than that, she had discovered that there was much more to the students in Slytherin House than she'd ever considered. Before Theo, Hermione had written off the entire house because of their association with Dark Magic, their rivalry with Gryffindors and their horrible views on muggles and blood supremacy. It had never occurred to her before Theo that there'd be someone in Slytherin worth getting to know; someone she could be friends with.

And yet, _he_ had been the one to show kindness first. He'd scoff at that, claiming that a suggestion of revenge wasn't kindness, but that wouldn't change her mind. She'd been expecting an insult, a sneer, maybe even a jinx but certainly not advice. And now her brain wouldn't let her move on despite their agreement. After a couple of days, she gave in and wrote him a friendly letter and Christmas card. She doubted that he'd be particularly pleased to receive it but she had spent too long wondering if he was lonely and it was the only thing she could think of to ease her concern. If he didn't want to write back then he wouldn't, would he?

She blamed her own rather lonely Christmas holiday for Theo's reply leaving her in a good mood for the rest of the day. More than half a dozen letters were passed between them over the rest of the break, mostly discussing homework and shared academic interests, but this was actually quite thrilling - none of Hermione's other friends would be willing to read an entire side of parchment about her thoughts on intriguing variations of celtic runes and then write an intelligent response back that critiqued her thoughts and proposed new combinations that kept her thinking for hours afterwards.

In fact, Theo's latest response had only arrived that morning and she was eager to talk to him about what he'd written once she'd dropped her winter cloak off in her dormitory. The Common Room was already busy with people catching up after the holiday even though people were set to be arriving through the Ministry-sanctioned floo fireplaces for another few hours yet. Hermione was pleased to sense that the stares that had followed her at the very end of last term had worn off.

There was no sign of her friends in the Common Room so she set off for the library in search of Theo. The tables within the stacks were mostly empty apart from a few students who were quickly finishing off the holiday homework that they had neglected over the break. Theo, however, was not one of them. Hermione turned away from the last row of shelves in disappointment and came face to face with the Headmaster instead.

"Professor Dumbledore," she gasped, very surprised to see him at all, let alone so close.

"Forgive me, Miss Granger, I didn't mean to startle you," he replied, looking mildly amused.

"Oh, no, it's fine, sir - I was just looking for someone," she replied hurriedly.

"Mr Potter or Mr Weasley, perhaps?" Professor Dumbledore enquired genially.

Embarrassingly, Hermione felt her cheeks heating up. "Um, no, Professor."

"No, I don't suppose this would be the place to find those particular young men upon their arrival back at school, would it?" he commented lightly, eyes twinkling. "Well, I shall pry into your business no further, Miss Granger. I just request that you deliver this to Mr Potter when you do happen to see him."

From within his robe her produced a scroll and Hermione recognised it at once as being similar to other notes Harry had received from the Headmaster to arrange another lesson about the origins of Voldemort. Hermione tucked the scroll away and nodded. "Yes, of course, sir."

He bowed his head slightly at her in thanks and wished her a Happy New Year before departing. Hermione looked around considering what to do. She still wanted to talk with Theo but if he wasn't in the library she wasn't going to search the whole castle for him - she didn't want to come across as desperate and he was more than likely in the Slytherin Common Room, which she had no way of accessing on her own, not that she even wanted to. She could stay in the library herself or return to Gryffindor Tower but she realised she hadn't visited Hagrid in an awfully long time.

It was very cold down in the grounds but Hagrid was very happy to see her and soon had her warmed up with a cup of tea almost as big as her head. Darkness was falling by the time she decided to return to the castle so Hagrid accompanied her on her walk up and she promised to visit him and Buckbeak soon.

She arrived back at the Fat Lady's portrait just at the same time as Harry, Ron and Ginny returned too. It was the first time she'd seen Ron and Harry since the party as she'd gone out of her way to avoid them immediately afterwards. She'd missed her friends terribly and was eager to avoid a term like the one they'd just had. She was prepared to start things afresh and forget the animosity that had existed between herself and Ron if he was too. She took a calming breath and then called out to them all as she hurried down the corridor to help them with the new password.

"I got back a couple of hours ago," she explained, taking heart from the fact that they all looked pleased to see her. "I've just been visiting Hagrid and Buck- I mean Witherwings. Did you have a good Christmas?"

"Yeah," said Ron eagerly, "pretty eventful. Rufus Scrimgeour turned up during Christmas lunch!"

Hermione's jaw dropped open. "You're kidding! Why? Oh, hang on - password. _Abstinence_."

"Precisely," the Fat Lady said weakly and then swung open to admit them all.

"What's up with her?" asked Harry.

"Overindulged over Christmas, apparently," she explained, rolling her eyes as they entered the common room. It was heaving in there now and she had to raise the volume of her voice in order to be heard over the buzz of different conversations. "She and her friend Violet drank their way through all the wine in that picture of drunk monks down by the Charms corridor. Anyway, tell me about this visit from the Minister - I can't believe he would just turn up like that! Oh, wait, Harry, I've got something for you," she said abruptly, remembering the scroll Dumbledore had entrusted to her.

There was a loud screech of, "Won-Won!" at that moment and Hermione was so distracted by Lavender's squeal and almost instantaneous appearance into Ron's arms that she didn't notice that Theo's latest letter became dislodged from her pocket as she handed over Dumbledore's note. Hermione stared at the ridiculous jumble of limbs and lips that was Ron and Lavender and was pleased that any former feelings of anger and jealousy had truly run their course. Their embrace was so absurdly excessive that she wanted to cringe - both at their display and her former feelings. If Lavender was what Ron truly wanted in a girlfriend then Hermione realised how utterly incompatible herself and Ron truly were. Thank goodness her pining for him was finally over before she wasted any more of her time wishing for something that was doomed from the start.

Hermione turned her taken-aback and wide-eyed gaze towards a displeased and nose-wrinkled Ginny, and hid her giggles behind her hand.

"I see that you and Nott are still going strong," Harry scoffed next to her.

Hermione looked at him in surprise, wondering what he was talking about, but saw immediately that Harry had Theo's letter in his hand and he was frowning down at it.

"Harry, it's rude to read other people's letters," she admonished, resisting the urge to tut at him as she tugged the parchment out of his grasp. "It's none of your business what Theo and I write to each other about."

"I didn't read it," Harry replied, looking a little horrified at what he obviously presumed was some sort of love letter.

Despite her mild embarrassment, Hermione almost laughed at how distinctly unromantic her correspondences with Theo were. "Actually Harry," Hermione began, intending to inform her friend that she and the Slytherin were now just friends, "Theo and I - "

There was an indignant squeak behind them and Hermione broke off to look over her shoulder. Ron was holding Lavender away from him at arm's length and was staring at Hermione with the same appalled expression from the night of the party. "You and Nott? _"_ he asked loudly. " _Still_ , Hermione?"

Just like a scene in one of those cheesy films Hermione's mother loved so much, all other conversations in the common room stopped.

"I - " she stuttered as she suddenly found herself the centre of attention. Damn Ron Weasley and his big mouth! A Gryffindor she may be but there was only one response she was willing to give with so many eyes judging her. "Yes, _still_ ," she shot back, straightening her back and lifting her chin slightly.

Lavender had wriggled herself closer to Ron again and pulled his face towards her. "Why do you care who she's seeing, Won Won?" she asked coyly, sticking her bottom lip out.

"Because his Dad's a fucking Death Eater!" Ron yelled, the volume of his voice shocking Lavender into taking a few steps away from him and Hermione flinched.

" _Ron_ , watch you language - you're a prefect," she said tightly.

"What, you think _I'm_ the one setting a bad example - you're going out with an evil snake!" Ron retorted, his ears going red.

"Don't be ridiculous," Hermione snapped. "Theo's not _evil_ : he's intelligent, funny, kind and a gentleman," she said pointedly and the redness crept down Ron's neck as he realised that she was implying these were all qualities that he lacked himself. Sensing that he was about to explode, Hermione pushed her way through the crowd towards the portrait hole. Before she disappeared completely from view, she paused and looked back over her shoulder. "Oh, and Theo's a great kisser too."

As soon as the portrait closed behind her (effectively blocking out Ron's choked yell and the renewed buzz of excited conversation) Hermione regretted what she'd said. She stared along the corridor, rather shocked at how her 'fresh start' with Ron had finished before it had even begun. Why did he have to open his mouth and draw everyone's attention like that? If he'd asked her about Theo in a quiet and private place, she would have told him that things hadn't worked out between her and Nott. It would have been that simple and they'd have moved on. But her pride had gotten in the way with all those people watching and she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her admit to being on her own again when he stood with his girlfriend's saliva still on his lips.

Hermione groaned softly and started to walk down the corridor before anyone came out, though it wouldn't make much difference because it was nearly dinner time and she'd have to deal with their stares anyway.

And, _oh Merlin_ , what on earth was she going to say to Theo about all this?

* * *

A/N Hope you liked it! Feel free to drop me a little review!


	13. Chapter 13

A/N Thanks for your support! So happy that you guys enjoyed the last chapter and I hope you like this one too.

* * *

"OK, this is just fucking pathetic," Daphne suddenly said next to him, a few minutes into their dinner. "Are their lives so lacking in excitement that they still haven't gotten over something from two weeks ago?"

Theo lowered his forkful of carrots to glance up at his friend. "What are you talking about?" Her gaze was focused over his shoulder and he watched her eyes sweep down the length of the Great Hall, her lips pulled down in a slight frown.

"The Gryffindorks," she said scathingly. "They keep looking this way."

Theo rolled his eyes. "At the Slytherin table?" he asked before resuming his dinner, his interest already wavering.

"At _you_ ," she clarified.

Theo paused mid-chew and raised an eyebrow at her in disbelief. She tilted her head forwards, encouraging him to look for himself. Theo twisted his torso round to look at the offending table. Sure enough, a number of faces were turned in his direction but when they saw him looking they quickly glanced away and bent their heads towards their friends.

Confused, Theo turned back to Daphne, swallowed his carrots and said, "You think this is still about Slughorn's party?"

"What else could it be?" she mused.

He shook his head. "I have no idea."

"It _was_ pretty scandalous but you and Granger are old news now," Daphne said, waving her cutlery to emphasise her point. "You think they'd have gotten over it already - no one in Slytherin cares anymore, do they?"

That seemed to be true. While he knew that the members of his house certainly wouldn't have _forgotten_ that he had stepped out with Hermione Granger, they appeared content to pretend like it had never happened. Draco's indifference in the whole affair probably helped but the two week break away from the school was definitely to Theo's benefit too. Blaise was the only one to treat him icily upon his return to the castle but Theo didn't give a fuck about what Blaise thought.

"They're looking at _her_ too," Daphne said, staring thoughtfully over Theo's shoulder again.

His grip tightened on his cutlery and he momentarily paused in the slicing of his chicken. He sensed Daphne's eyes shift to him and he restarted the motion, nonchalantly spearing a bite and depositing it in his mouth. "Are they?" he asked disinterestedly, once he'd swallowed. Daphne was still watching him closely. Part of him wondered what she was thinking but the rest of him knew it was probably much better that he didn't know.

Theo had purposefully chosen a seat that faced away from Granger. He wasn't angry with her or anything - well, not really. He was more frustrated with himself. When he'd sent a reply to Granger's Christmas letter, he'd been careful to ensure that he asked her no questions in the hopes that would stop her from writing back to him again. He should've known that wouldn't have stopped someone as soft-hearted as Hermione from finding something else to say to him. Each time a letter from her appeared at breakfast time, he swore that he wouldn't respond and then, inevitably, he would give in. He didn't like that he had continuously given in to her harmless-looking letters and he certainly didn't like that he could grudgingly admit to himself that he liked Hermione Granger. Her letters were insightful, informative and intelligent; she challenged him to think about academic matters in a way he never had before and seemed to genuinely value his opinion, which was a strange sensation because he made a habit of not sharing it with others very often. He was aware that she had only written to him so frequently and at such length because she was lonely but, then again, so was he.

But Hogwarts was now full once more and the strange bubble that he had existed in during the holidays had burst. He was uncertain how to proceed. Maintaining some sort of… _acquaintanceship_ with Hermione was not advisable. He had enjoyed her writings over the last couple of weeks but he saw no benefit in transferring that into verbal communications. He may have warmed to her recently but getting close to Hermione was dangerous for both of them. Not to mention that he still hadn't shaken off his desire to kiss her again. And so, after successfully spotting her curly head at the Gryffindor table (and ignoring the small thrill that created) he decided it would be easier to pretend she didn't exist by facing away from her.

"And _she_ keeps glancing at you," Daphne informed him, pushing her plate to one side and reaching for some fruit.

Theo's resolve lasted for half a second before he turned, recalling at once whereabouts she was sitting. Her eyes locked onto his immediately and he ignored that damn thrill again. Her lips pulled up into the slightest smile for a moment but her overall expression looked a little anxious. She tilted her head slightly and glanced meaningfully at the door before returning her gaze to his. After a brief pause, he gave her an almost imperceptible nod and then turned back to Daphne. She had raised a very judgemental eyebrow at him as she chewed silently on a grape before popping another one in her mouth.

"What?" he asked, shrugging defensively.

"I don't like it," she stated flatly in a pause between grapes. "You should keep away from her - she's only going to bring you trouble."

"You think I don't know that?" he grumbled but he still got to his feet.

" _Theo_ ," Daphne said warningly.

"I'll see you back at the common room," he muttered.

Now that he was aware of them, he could feel the stares burning into his back as he made his way to the Entrance Hall. Hermione was already there, standing by the marble staircase.

"What's wrong?" he asked, noticing her unsettled body language as he got closer to her.

"We need to talk," she told him seriously.

"Isn't that what we're doing?"

She smiled quickly. "Somewhere private," she elaborated before leading the way up the staircase and then down a couple of corridors to a deserted classroom.

"OK, what do we need to talk about?" Theo asked once the door had clicked closed.

She took a deep breath and stared down at her shoes for a moment and nibbled on her lower lip. Theo's gaze honed in on the action and his pulse sped up a little.

"Harry found the letter you sent me this morning," she admitted, looking up at him once more. "He assumed that we were still together, Ron overheard and got annoyed and I...I…" she trailed off.

" _You_ …?" Theo prompted not sure where she was going with this.

"I didn't correct them," she said delicately, looking at him anxiously as she awaited his reaction.

Theo frowned. "Potter and Weasley think we're still going out? That's what all the staring was about? A bit of an overreaction from all your housemates, isn't it?"

She tucked a bit of hair behind her ear. "Well, Ron made a bit of a scene in the common room," she explained. "I was going to tell Harry and Ron that you and I had parted amicably but then with everyone staring I kind of lost my nerve," she admitted sheepishly.

Theo scoffed. "You'd rather admit to a roomful of Gryffindors that you were still dating a Slytherin than tell them you're single?"

Hermione shrugged but said nothing.

"So, we're here because you want me to play the boyfriend again," he stated flatly, not at all keen on the idea, but her eyes widened.

"No, I don't think that's necessary - I just wanted to give you the heads up in case you hear anything," she explained. "I'll tell Ron and Harry we broke up in a couple of days when this has all blown over. If you could just avoid saying anything horrible about me or looking like you hate me until then, I'd really appreciate it."

"Why would I do that?" he asked in puzzlement.

"Oh," her cheeks flushed and looked at her shoes again. "I know this is very unfair on you, Theo, and I already owe you for the original date but I really hoped you wouldn't mind for just two or three - "

Theo realised she'd misinterpreted his question and interrupted, "No, Granger: why would I say anything horrible about you?"

She glanced up at him. "Oh, well, you know, appearances have to be upheld, don't they? You briefly dated a muggleborn - you need to be seen as a proper Slytherin again, don't you?"

He smirked. "Don't pretend to understand Slytherins, Hermione, we're a complicated bunch to outsiders."

Her eyes tracked over his face for a moment and then she frowned. "You're not mad?"

"You pissed off Weasley - how could I be mad?" he replied smoothly but her expression didn't change. "Look," he said more seriously, "I'm not going to agree to fake-date you again because we both know that it's not a good idea at all."

"I'm not asking - " she began but he held up a hand to stop her because he hadn't finished explaining his thoughts.

"You were saving face," he told her. "I don't blame you - I probably would've done the same thing."

She looked at him anxiously for a few more seconds then sighed and smiled. "OK. Thanks, Theo. I really appreciate it and I promise I'll break us up by Wednesday."

He nodded and they just looked at each other for a moment. "Is that all you wanted to talk about?" he asked, quickly becoming uncomfortable in the silence.

Her face brightened and he tried to rationalise the sudden appearance of goosebumps on his arms with the temperature in the classroom. "Actually, I tried to find you in the library earlier…"

* * *

"You were gone for a while," Daphne told him evenly when he sat next to her in the common room.

"Was I?" he replied off-handedly, glancing at the title of the book she was reading. "Any good?" he asked.

"No, terrible," she answered, snapping the book shut. "So, what did she want?"

Theo opened his mouth to respond and then he paused, glancing at his best friend suspiciously. There was something off in both her voice and body language. "Why do I get the feeling you already have an idea?"

She adopted an innocent facade for a moment and then it crumbled when she huffed, "You know me too well."

"I've known you pretty much my whole life," he corrected.

"True," she said with an affectionate smile. "It's a good thing we get on so well, isn't it? Certainly makes things easier."

" _Daph_ ," Theo prompted.

"Right, Granger," she said with a small roll of her eyes. " _Your girlfriend_."

"Only for a couple more days," Theo told her lowly, glancing round to check no one was listening in.

Daphne looked unconvinced. "I don't like it."

"You don't have to like it," he countered.

"Why aren't you bothered by this?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him. "This wasn't what you two agreed."

"Well, what would you have done in her situation?"

"For starters, _I_ never would've got hung up on a fucking _Weasley_ ," she sneered. "And secondly, why the hell are you empathising with her?"

"I want to be on her good side, remember? She's like a backup if things get fucked up in the future," Theo explained. Daphne didn't look convinced. "So, what exactly did you hear? Did Weasley look pissed - what about Potter?"

Daphne crossed her arms and looked away from him.

"Come on," he wheedled, "I know you want to tell me." She picked up her terrible book and hid her face behind a random page. "I could always ask Pansy - she always says she has the best gossip."

Daphne lowered the book enough to glare at him. "Fine," she snapped in time with shutting the book. "My sources tell me that Weasley was mid-snog with Brown when he suddenly started yelling at Granger about being with, well, you." She faltered and Theo could tell that she was withholding something.

" _Me?_ "

Daphne grimaced slightly. "A Death Eater's son," she whispered apologetically.

A spark of anger flashed through him though he tried to show no outward sign. "I see," he said tightly. He knew it was stupid to get annoyed over something that was completely true and wasn't a secret, but he didn't appreciate that twat shouting it out and condemning him in front of all those self-righteous Gryffindors. By his very nature, Theo was quite reserved and intentionally didn't leave much of an impression anywhere but there was far more to him than who his father was.

The whole thing was stupid: he didn't _want_ all of Hogwarts to suddenly like him and be his friend but he wanted to punch Weasley's face in all the same.

"I wonder why Hermione didn't tell me," he mused, missing the way Daphne's mouth tightened at the use of the first name.

"Maybe she didn't want you to know what she said next," Daphne suggested.

He looked at her questioningly. "What?"

"Apparently," Daphne said, dragging the word out and pausing for dramatic effect, "she defended you in front of them all: said you were clever, funny, kind, a gentleman and…"

"And?" Theo asked, feeling strangely lightheaded.

Daphne's expression was unreadable. "And - this is how I know she was exaggerating or lying about the other qualities - she said you're a great kisser."

" _What?_ " Theo laughed in disbelief, shaking his head, "There's no way that she said that - you're such a fucking liar, Daph!"

Daphne smiled tightly. "Believe me, Theo, I really wish I was."

When nothing but silence passed between them for a few moments, Theo's amusement drained away. "You're actually serious, aren't you?"

She shrugged lightly. "If my sources are to be believed and they're normally pretty reliable."

Theo slumped back in his seat and stared up at the ceiling without really seeing it. Hermione Granger, yes, _that_ Hermione Granger, had yelled about his kissing prowess for all the Gryffindors to hear. He didn't really know what to think about that. He knew, of course, that she had only done so to wind up Weasley but it still left a funny feeling in his chest to know that she defended him in front of all of her friends.

He suddenly sat up and looked at Daphne. "What do you mean you know all the other stuff was lies?"

Daphne snorted delicately. "Come on, Theo: we've kissed before and you weren't that good."

Theo threw a cushion at her. "We were thirteen and you were my first kiss," he said defensively. "Don't judge me on that - _you_ weren't exactly good either. Granger's much bett-" Daphne had covered his mouth with her hand.

"Even if what you were about to say is true, I don't want to hear it," she said huffily. "Think about who you're talking to here, Theo."

He pushed her hand away. "You started it," he pointed out.

"So, you're trying to tell me that the other things she said about you are true?" Daphne asked, ignoring his comment. "You're funny?"

"You just don't appreciate my wit," he countered.

"Clever?" she posed. "Well, she's friends with Potter and Weasley - anyone's going to look clever compared to those two."

"Hey, I'm not top of the year but I'm not far behind her and you know it," he pointed out.

"A gentleman?" she questioned.

"How dare you question my breeding?" he asked in mock offence. "You can't argue with my rather stellar lineage, Daph - you know it better than most."

" _Kind_ , though?" Daphne mused, ignoring his argument. "She was definitely reaching there." Theo couldn't disagree so he merely shrugged. Kindness wasn't a quality associated with any Slytherins that he knew of. Surely she had just been making a dig at Weasley with that comment…

* * *

Timing.

That's what it came down to.

Whether it was a case of _good_ timing or _bad_ timing, Theo wasn't sure but he knew that everything that followed happened because he reached the Entrance Hall on the first Monday morning of the Spring Term at the same time as Hermione, Potter and Weasley.

Theo hadn't slept very well and he thought there was a distinct chance that he was dreaming when his eyes locked with the Gryffindors standing at various points on the Marble Staircase, but Daphne's low, "Oh, shit," next to him convinced him that this was real.

Hermione was at the bottom of the staircase, only a few paces away from entering the Great Hall, but Theo could see by the way she'd wrapped her arms across her chest and the slight wetness to her eyes as she struggled to meet his gaze that she was upset. Weasley was halfway down the stairs, his red neck and ears clashing horribly with his orange hair and Theo noticed that his already angry expression grew even more severe and his hands curled into fists when he clocked Theo. Meanwhile, Potter stood above them all, looking between his friends and the Slytherins uncertainly.

Daphne grabbed the back of his robes but Theo walked forwards purposefully, freeing himself from her restraining fingers. "What's going on?" he asked loudly enough for his voice to carry across the hall. Weasley's scowl deepened as Theo approached and the anger he'd felt the previous evening at the red-headed fool and his ill-disciplined mouth flared back instantly.

"Mind your own business, prick," Weasley spat at him.

"If you're upsetting Hermione then that _is_ my business, Weasley," he sneered, coming to a halt in a spot that put himself between his fake girlfriend and the Weasel. "I'd advise you to keep your damn mouth shut and your opinions to yourself unless you want to embarrass yourself by making inaccurate or offensive remarks like you usually do when your mouth opens and Brown isn't there to stick her tongue into that disgusting hole."

Weasley leapt down the remaining stairs between them with a snarl and gripped the front of Theo's robes, aggressively pushing him against the stone wall. "Listen you slimy piece of _shit_ ," Weasley snarled as people called their names and Theo tried to look haughtily back, "I don't know what the fuck you're playing at but I do know you're a no-good, evil bastard just like your father. I'm sure the Dementors have got a cell in Azkaban with your name on all ready for you."

"Forty points from Gryffindor for violent behaviour, Weasley," a cold voice drawled from behind them, halting the altercation at once, which was lucky for Theo because if it had lasted a second longer he would certainly have cursed or punched Ron Weasley in the face.

Weasley dropped his hold on his robes and turned a protesting face towards the glowering Professor Snape. "But I hardly touched him!"

"And I'll take another twenty points for your cheek in talking back to a teacher," Snape told him coldly but his eyes flashed menacingly.

Weasley, being the idiot that he was, opened his mouth to protest even further but Potter pulled him hurriedly away, muttering to keep quiet.

They had attracted a bit of a crowd but Snape glowered at the rest of the students and they all moved hurriedly into the Great Hall for breakfast. Theo's Head of House swept his eyes between Hermione and Theo and then abruptly turned on his heel and ascended the Marble Staircase without a backwards glance.

Theo glanced over at Daphne and saw that she was sending him an unimpressed look that told him quite plainly that she'd predicted that something like this would happen and that he only had himself to blame. She flicked her hair over her shoulder and then walked into breakfast without him, leaving him alone with Hermione.

She took a few hurried footsteps towards him, biting her bottom lip worriedly. "Are you alright?"

"Please," he scoffed confidently, "it would take far more than a little shove to do me any damage."

She ran her eyes over him anyway, then shook her head as she looked up at him with her big brown eyes. "You didn't have to do that."

"Well, I _wanted_ to do that," he retorted a little hotly.

"It's not that I don't appreciate it," she said quickly, "but I _can_ fight my own battles, Theo. Besides, you don't want to get caught up in this anymore," she added, waving her hand between them. She gave him a small smile, squeezed his arm lightly and then scurried into the Great Hall too.

Theo watched her go, his thoughts and emotions tumbling over inside his head in a confusing melee and his arm hot where she'd touched him.

He didn't really know why he did it. He recognised that there were a few different justifications but, in truth, he just felt compelled to. He blamed her. There was just something about her that made him do things he wouldn't normally do for reasons he couldn't completely understand.

"Can you pass the butter," he greeted, taking a seat on the bench beside her and kissing her on the cheek before grabbing a couple of slices of toast.

Hermione stared at him. "Theo, what are you doing," she whispered, looking at him as though he might have gone mad. Perhaps he had.

"I'm having breakfast with my girlfriend," he replied simply as students throughout the Great Hall whispered and stared in their direction. A cry of rage almost certainly belonged to Weasley but Theo refused to look at his likely horrified face yet.

"But I told you that you didn't have to do anything," Hermione reminded him quietly, also refraining from looking Weasley's way. "You've already done more than enough."

"Your cereal's going to go soggy," he pointed out, nodding at the breakfast that she had neglected once he'd sat at the Gryffindor table with her.

"Forget my soggy cereal," she said, turning to face him completely as he reached past her for the butter. "What's going on, Theo?"

He started buttering his toast. "I wasn't just fighting your battle out there: I'm not going to stand for Weasley talking shit about either of us like he did yesterday."

Understanding settled in her eyes and she chewed on her lip again. "You heard."

"I told you: Daphne always picks up the gossip," Theo reminded her and then he smirked. "Apparently someone thinks I'm a great kisser," he teased before refocusing on his breakfast.

Hermione groaned softly and temporarily covered her face with her hands before tucking her hair behind her ears. " _You heard,_ " she repeated softly.

He put down his knife and nodded, turning to look at her seriously. "And while I know you only said it to piss off Weasley, I appreciate you standing up for me." Quite how that and all that had followed had led to him sitting at the table of his least favourite house, he still didn't know but there he was.

Hermione shrugged a little and smiled at him. "I still meant what I said about you," she told him sincerely.

"About the kissing?"

She laughed. "About all of it," she stated, making his chest feel funny again.

"Good," he replied before turning back to his toast. "Did you see the notice about apparition lessons?" he enquired casually and they discussed the prospect as though they didn't have a care in the world.

* * *

A/N This is easily the longest chapter for this fic. I even considered breaking it down into two separate chapters but I think it flows better all in one and, after such a long break, I thought you guys deserved a bumper update.

Let me know what you think!

Love,

Red


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